After several years of painstaking negotiations, intended and attempted reforms, and even a formal name change, the prospect of EU membership for the Western Balkan states of North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo has seldom been stronger.

In spite of past setbacks and an admission of error regarding the membership process by former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, support for accession appears to be driven by fears of Russian and Chinese encroachment in the region