Macron and Merz head to Montenegro as EU races to secure its next frontier – POLITICO

TIVAT, Montenegro — French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will join a group of EU leaders at a summit on Friday, as capitals try to find consensus on how far, and how fast, the process of bringing new members into the bloc should go.

They are taking part in talks in the small Balkan nation of Montenegro at the annual EU-Western Balkans summit, as Brussels accelerates efforts to advance membership for countries seeking to join the bloc. No new member has been admitted since Croatia joined in 2013, but amid a backdrop of political and economic uncertainty, candidate countries are piling on the pressure to open the doors.

“There is clear momentum on enlargement,” said European Council President António Costa, who has traveled for talks with candidate countries across the region over the past week. Montenegro is now drafting its EU treaty, Albania is moving ahead in the process, and both Moldova and Ukraine have unlocked the first round of negotiations, he said.