Overview
- The EU–Western Balkans summit in Tivat on Friday gathered senior EU figures and the six candidate leaders to press for a quicker, more practical path to membership.
- On Wednesday Montenegro barred 87 people who arrived from Serbia, saying they had communication gear, banners and criminal records, and Serbia's security agency warned President Aleksandar Vučić against travel though he attended the summit.
- France and Germany put forward a 'membership‑lite' idea to give candidates observer roles in EU bodies and limited Single Market access as interim incentives while full accession continues.
- EU officials are discussing new legal 'guardrails' to be written into accession treaties that would allow funds to be frozen or certain rights limited if a new member backslides on judicial independence or corruption.
- Montenegro is being positioned as the frontrunner for entry by 2028, a move that could draw the Western Balkans closer to the EU and reduce Russian and Chinese influence while raising worries that phased integration could create a two‑tier system for aspirant countries.