European Parliament Evaluates Albania and Montenegro EU Membership Progress on 6 May

On 6 May 2026, the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) is scheduled to evaluate progress made by Albania and Montenegro towards EU membership. The two reports — adopted under the Parliament’s annual cycle of country-specific assessments — represent the most authoritative parliamentary view of where each candidate currently stands on the long path to accession.

Montenegro: the closest to the finish line

Montenegro remains the most advanced of the Western Balkan candidates. The country opened all its negotiating chapters several years ago and is now in the closing phase, with the focus on rule-of-law benchmarks under chapters 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights) and 24 (justice, freedom and security). The political objective signalled by both the Montenegrin government and the Commission is closure of all chapters by end-2026 or early 2027, with formal accession potentially in 2028 — making Montenegro the first new EU member state since Croatia in 2013.

Albania: the structural reform agenda

Albania’s path is more recent. After years of stalled negotiations, the country opened negotiations on the rule-of-law cluster in 2024 and has accelerated structural reforms since. The 2026 Parliament report is expected to highlight progress on judicial reform, anti-corruption institutions, and the Special Anti-Corruption and Organised Crime Structure (SPAK) which has prosecuted former senior officials. The remaining gaps — on media freedom, on minority rights, and on the country’s exposure to organised crime networks — are the main political issues the report will address.

The wider Western Balkans context

The 2026 enlargement discussion takes place under a sharpened geopolitical imperative. Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, China’s growing footprint in the Western Balkans through Belt and Road infrastructure, and Türkiye’s regional ambition have made enlargement a security file as much as an economic one. The European Council in March 2026 reaffirmed the strategic priority of bringing the Western Balkans into the Union, while underscoring that merit-based progress remains the only valid criterion. Parliament’s reports help anchor that political signal in concrete benchmarks.

Beyond Albania and Montenegro

The other Western Balkan candidates are at varied stages. Serbia faces continued questions on Kosovo dialogue and on visa policy alignment with EU sanctions against Russia. North Macedonia remains blocked by the constitutional question with Bulgaria. Bosnia and Herzegovina received candidate status only in 2022 and is at the early stages. Kosovo has applied but is not yet recognised as a candidate. The fast track for Albania and Montenegro therefore signals to the others that delivery on benchmarks does translate into measurable EU progress.

What the report votes mean

The AFET committee votes are not formally binding on the Council of the EU, which holds the actual decisional power on accession. But Parliament’s reports establish the political tone, document the year’s progress, and provide ammunition both to candidate governments seeking to demonstrate momentum and to EU national governments calibrating their domestic stance. After 6 May, the reports will be put to the Parliament plenary later in the spring; the Council’s enlargement decisions, by tradition, follow in the autumn.