On April 20, 2026, the Council for Inclusive Governance (CIG) convened a regional roundtable in Podgorica, Montenegro. The discussion brought together senior party and government officials from the six Western Balkan countries, alongside senior EU diplomats and experts to assess progress of the EU accession “frontrunners.” Participants also examined the implications of their potential accession for the rest of the region, as well as the current state of regional cooperation under the framework of the EU Growth Plan and the broader Berlin Process agenda. The roundtable was organized as part of a CIG regional project supported by the German Federal Foreign Office (AA). The discussion focused on several key questions: What lessons can be drawn from the frontrunners’ experience, and what challenges remain? How relevant are these lessons for countries lagging in the accession process? And how might regional cooperation, in particular within the Berlin Process, evolve following the potential accession of one or two frontrunners? The report below was prepared by Dr. Igor Novakovi?, CIG Senior Adviser.
