Merz Calls for Faster EU Expansion as Western Balkan Leaders Meet

Despite growing political support for enlargement, joining the EU remains a lengthy and demanding process.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ireland's Taoiseach Micheal Martin (not pictured) hold a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on April 16, 2026. Axel Schmidt/Reuters

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged the European Union to show that it is both willing and able to admit new members, as EU leaders met with Western Balkan counterparts seeking to join the bloc.

Merz made the comments at a summit in the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat on June 5, where leaders discussed the future of EU enlargement amid renewed geopolitical pressure from Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing competition for influence in southeastern Europe.