Balkan EU Accession Still Exposed to Bilateral Vetoes
The article argues that years of good-neighbourly declarations have not prevented bilateral disputes from obstructing Western Balkan EU enlargement. It notes that Montenegro has provisionally closed 21 of 33 negotiating chapters, but Croatia is holding up progress over issues including war crimes, missing persons, property claims and borders. It questions whether an EU member should be able to condition accession on its own unresolved demands without scrutiny.
Montenegro is hosting the Berlin Process Leaders’ Summit on October 22 while it remains a leading EU candidate, having tentatively completed 21 of 33 accession chapters. Croatia is delaying its path because of unresolved disputes over war crimes, missing persons, state property, maritime boundaries and the Jadran sailing ship.
The article also notes that in May 2024 Albania’s relationship with Greece was strained after Fredis Beleris, the elected ethnic Greek mayor of Himara, was imprisoned for vote buying; Greece suggested the case could affect Albania’s EU ambitions.
If bilateral vetoes persist, citizens in Montenegro and other Western Balkan states may see slower EU-related reforms and less predictable benefits from closer integration, while governments could face added pressure to settle disputes. The issues cited—war crimes, missing persons and property claims—may also affect trust between neighbouring communities. The case could prompt more scrutiny of how accession vetoes are used, but it may also leave enlargement vulnerable to unresolved bilateral grievances.