EU enlargement is the focus of the second meeting of EU Ministers for European Affairs, who are in Nicosia today as part of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU. The meeting is attended by representatives of candidate countries-Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia, and Kosovo as a potential candidate country. Upon arriving at the Filoxenia conference center, where the Informal Summit is taking place, the countries’ representatives spoke about the importance of EU enlargement and the progress they have made in fulfilling the accession criteria.
Montenegro’s Minister for European Affairs, Maida Gorcevi, said that Montenegro has made significant progress so far regarding the European agenda. As she noted, four chapters have been closed so far, and their main goal is to close all of them by the end of the year.
She thanked the Cypriot Presidency and the member states for organizing the ad hoc working group on the accession treaty. She also said that this year is a decisive one for her country as they are hosting the EU-Western Balkans Summit. She added that ‘this is also the year we will show that Montenegro is ready to join the European Union. I am delighted to be here, and we are very grateful to the Cypriot Presidency.’
Moldova’s representative for European integration, Cristina Gherasimov, said that her country is ready for EU accession by 2030, noting that EU enlargement is a process that ensures the country’s place in a peaceful and prosperous region. ‘We are moving forward with many reforms that are necessary for us to be ready to join the European Union by 2030.’ She also said that in the coming years, the focus will largely be on the rule of law and the reforms that form the backbone of EU accession, adding that ‘we look forward to contributing to unity and a stronger Europe.’
Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s representative responsible for European integration, said that EU enlargement and his country’s accession is a truly important issue today, ‘as Europe must remain united in the face of all challenges and threats.’ He said that in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine and the sensitive situation in the Mediterranean, the common goal is to remain united, and we will discuss the next steps in this process.
‘This is truly a momentum to move forward with integration, so we really appreciate what the Cypriot Presidency is doing to move things forward,’ he added.
North Macedonia’s Minister of European Affairs, Bekim Sali, said that the discussion on enlargement comes at a critical time for European security and stability. He added that this is a very important step for North Macedonia and that they remain committed to fulfilling all the necessary preconditions to complete their integration into the EU.
In a statement upon his arrival at the venue, Kosovo’s accession negotiator Jeton Zulfaj said that Kosovo is the only case that does not have “candidate country” status and has not yet begun accession negotiations. ‘We look forward to discussing this issue,’ he said. He added that they have implemented reforms, adopted European values, and achieved progress in areas such as democracy and the economy. ‘We are fully aligned with the common foreign and security policy. We believe the time has come for Kosovo to be granted candidate status and for accession negotiations to begin,’ he said.
The Republic of Cyprus currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU for a six-month term that started on January 1st, 2026, as part of a Trio Presidency along with Poland and Denmark.