Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected President of the European Commission, has announced that her new term will include a Commissioner dedicated to EU Enlargement. This role will focus specifically on advancing the enlargement process.

Previously, the Commissioner for Enlargement also handled EU foreign policy, which limited the focus on Enlargement. The last time the EU had a Commissioner solely for enlargement was from 2004 to 2009 under José Manuel Barroso, with Olli Rehn in the role.

Since then, the Enlargement Directorate has been part of the Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement (NEAR), which also covers neighboring countries. With new countries joining the enlargement process—Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, alongside the six Western Balkan nations (Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo), and Turkey—the total number of candidates has risen to ten. All but Kosova enjoy formal candidate status, with Kosova’s application from December 2022 still under review.

There is growing EU support for acceleration of the enlargement process. Outgoing European Council President Charles Michel has suggested 2030 as a potential target for both the EU and candidate countries to be ready for enlargement.

EU leaders are calling for both candidate countries and the EU to meet their respective responsibilities to achieve this goal. Montenegro, the furthest along in the accession talks, aims to join by 2028.

However, exact dates for membership cannot be set as they depend on each candidate’s progress. Diplomats believe that with sufficient political will, the 2030 timeline could be realistic.

The future of enlargement hinges on the unanimous agreement of all 27 EU member states.

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