"It is now a very real possibility that the EU will grow in the coming years. In many parts of the Western Balkans, there is still skepticism that EU membership is really possible. I hope that the positive example of Montenegro and Albania, which is next in line, will inspire the rest of the Western Balkans to follow the same path," she said at a conference in Freiburg.
Obtaining candidate status is the beginning of a rather long path towards membership in the Union.
Turkey has been a candidate since 1999, North Macedonia since 2005, Montenegro since 2010, and Serbia since 2012.
The last country to join the EU was Croatia, which became a member in 2013, after a ten-year process.
