The Enlargement Commissioner, Marta Kos, spoke to EUpravo Zato following a session of the European Parliament where MPs discussed the reforms implemented in candidate countries for EU accession.
"If Serbia fulfills all its commitments, we will be able to open Cluster 3 soon this year," said Marta Kos, the Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner, after the European Parliament session where MPs assessed the reforms carried out in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Turkey. This was Kos’ first participation in evaluating the current state and prospects of these countries in her role as Commissioner for Enlargement.
As she noted in a statement for journalists, the exact date is still unknown, but "this is a process."
When asked about her impressions of the session, which she attended for the first time as the Enlargement Commissioner, Kos said that good communication had been established with the European Parliament, particularly with the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), which she chairs.
"I don’t only receive questions from them but also information from the field, as parliament members are very involved in the policies of these countries. I expect this year and the next to be the most successful in terms of the enlargement process in the past decade, and I very much look forward to working with the members of Parliament," Kos highlighted.
She announced during the session that she plans to visit Albania and Montenegro in the near future but also emphasized her desire to visit Serbia as soon as possible.
"I plan to visit one member state or candidate country every month because we need to work on two fronts simultaneously, and of course, I would like to visit Serbia as soon as possible," she stated.
A Long and Challenging Path
To recap, at the European Parliament session on 14 January, MPs, together with Marta Kos, discussed the reforms implemented in candidate countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Turkey. This debate follows the European Commission’s adoption of the 2024 Enlargement Package on 30 October 2024, which provides a detailed assessment and recommendations for the next steps on these countries' paths to EU membership.
In her opening remarks, the Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner, Marta Kos, stated that the progress of the EU candidate countries has generally been significant and visible, but she also acknowledged that some countries have regressed in this process.
She underlined that the enlargement process is long and challenging, both for candidate countries and for the EU and its member states.
"The EU's enlargement policy now offers candidate countries the greatest opportunity in the past decade, through reform support measures, primarily through the Growth Plan, but also through other measures," Kos said.