Western Balkans

The European Greens are calling for mining projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina to be removed from the EU's list of strategic projects. The demand puts environmental concerns over resource extraction in the Western Balkans at odds with the EU's push to secure critical raw materials, and the dispute is drawing attention across the region.

The European Union is drawing up membership action plans for its most promising enlargement candidates, according to Politico. The plans would set out concrete steps for the strongest hopefuls on the path to joining the bloc. Enlargement has gained renewed momentum as the EU weighs how to integrate countries of the Western Balkans and Ukraine's neighborhood.

Debate is turning on whether the European Union can admit new members without first reforming its federal structures. With enlargement ambitions involving countries such as Ukraine and those of the Western Balkans, critics argue the EU's current decision-making and institutions cannot absorb new states without treaty change, while others question whether reform is politically achievable.