Ruptly
"President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Friday discussed the status of EU accession processes for the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova during a press conference with European Council President Antonio Costa and Montenegro President Jakov Milatovic at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat. She called enlargement a 'geostrategic imperative' for the European Union, calling for a more 'dynamic' integration process for the Western Balkans. "It will remain merits-based, but it must become more dynamic," she said. "Merits-based does not mean slow. Merits-based means fair and predictable." She added that the goal of Montenegro becoming the 28th member state of the EU by 2028 was within reach. "The enlargement process is how we turn this reality into membership and how we bring the Western Balkans closer to where they belong: that is at the heart of the European Union," she said. Von der Leyen also expressed 'full support' for Ukraine following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's open letter to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, asking for a one-on-one meeting, since rejected. "It shows no one wants more peace than the people of Ukraine and the president of Ukraine and he has our full support what the content of the letter is concerned," she added. Costa also supported Zelensky's move and hailed the lifting of Hungary’s long-standing veto on Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations. "The great news from this week is now we are unblocking this process. And as Prime Minister Magyar said, we can presume that in three weeks it's possible to de-block this accession process," Costa said. "It's very good news.” This comes as six Western Balkan nations are attempting to join the EU, amid the row over Ukraine wanting to 'jump the queue' ahead of others who have been waiting for many years."
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