Albania is once again being mentioned among the countries closest to membership in the European Union, but the enthusiasm coming from European circles does not remove the hardest part of the story: political decision-making in the EU remains complicated, slow and often shaped by interests that go beyond the merit of candidate countries.
Brussels puts enlargement back on the table
According to Euronews, the enlargement of the European Union is entering a more decisive phase, with Albania and Montenegro considered among the most advanced candidates, while Ukraine and Moldova are being pushed forward in the integration process.
At the same time, European institutions are discussing not only who could join the Union, but also how an EU with more than 30 member states would function. This shows that the debate is no longer simply technical, but deeply political and strategic.
Albania moves forward, but the process is not measured only by chapters
European officials have said that in the past six months, more negotiating chapters have been closed than during the last decade, a signal that the process has gathered unusual momentum.
However, the experience of previous enlargements shows that closing chapters does not automatically guarantee membership. Even when negotiations move ahead, member states retain the ability to block the path at later stages, especially when the domestic political climate in Europe becomes more hostile to enlargement.
Geopolitics is weighing on decisions
The debate in Brussels is increasingly tied to geographic balances and the use of membership as a political instrument. From this perspective, the EU is using the prospect of enlargement to strengthen its influence in the neighborhood, increase security guarantees and limit rival influences.
This logic makes the process less linear than it appears in optimistic statements. The progress of Ukraine and Moldova, Serbia’s role in the Western Balkans, and even the possibility that Iceland could reopen negotiations create a scene in which the criterion of merit collides with broader political calculations.
Reforms within the EU could become a silent condition
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had earlier announced a review of enlargement policies and a plan for how an EU with 30 or more members would function. The European Commission is expected to publish this plan on September 30.
Under discussion are sensitive issues, from removing unanimity in some areas to the idea of a smaller and more flexible European Commission. These are not merely administrative adjustments: they affect the balance of power between large and small states and could directly influence the pace of admitting new countries.
The risk of political blockage remains real
Even if candidate countries approach the finish line, ratification remains the hardest test. The case of North Macedonia has shown that bilateral political disputes can drag out for years a process that on paper appears advanced.
Skepticism toward enlargement has also grown because of the rightward shift of the political spectrum in some key EU countries, such as France and the Netherlands. This means that even for Albania, the road to membership depends not only on Tirana’s pace, but also on the real willingness of member states to accept enlargement when the moment of the final decision arrives.
For now, Albania is seen as one of the most advanced files on the enlargement table. But between optimistic statements and actual entry into the EU stands a strong political filter, where vetoes, national elections, geostrategic calculations and the Union’s own reforms all carry weight.
This makes the message coming from Brussels less triumphant than it sounds in the headlines: rapprochement with the EU is real on paper, but arrival remains conditional.