Germany and France believe that joining the European Union has become too slow, often taking decades. Their solution? A more gradual path to integration. But what do candidate countries think about it?
In 2003, the EU promised the Western Balkans that they would one day become members. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Montenegro are all candidates for EU membership. Why are they still waiting after more than two decades?
A report by Save the Children found that underreported crossings reduce the visibility of children on the move, increasing the danger threat many of them are facing as they travel without adult supervision.
The idea of a fast-tracked Ukraine accession to the EU, as early as 2027, is gaining ground in Brussels. But urgency must not come at the expense of principle. The greater risk today is not moving too fast but moving halfway, warns the European Policy Centre.