BRUSSELS

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos on Tuesday reaffirmed the EU's strong commitment to the enlargement process, stressing that the bloc "cannot be united without the Western Balkans."

"For the first time in the history of Europe, if we do it right in the enlargement process, we could unify our Europe, and Europe cannot be united without Western Balkans,” Kos said at the Western Balkans leaders' meeting on the growth plan in Skopje.

"I hear the same sentiment echoed in EU capitals. I'm stressing this here because I want to be very clear, there is a clear consensus for further enlargement," she added.

Kos also noted that discussions are underway to eliminate roaming charges, saying that if leaders commit to the necessary reforms and legislative changes, free roaming for Western Balkan countries could begin as early as January 1, 2026.

Regarding North Macedonia’s EU accession path, Kos reiterated the commission’s political goal of opening accession negotiations “as soon as the country fulfills the agreed criteria,” notably the constitutional amendments.

“If North Macedonia fulfills and changes the constitution — which is not easy, I am completely aware of this — then we should start immediately within an intergovernmental conference without any further political decisions and conditions,” she said.

Separately, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Monday met with Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic in Budapest. Following the meeting, Szijjarto wrote on X: "They push Ukraine, we push the Western Balkans."

"Ukraine brings danger and the risk of drifting into war, while the Western Balkans bring security and new energy," he added, claiming that "no sane person believes Ukraine is in better shape than any of these countries."