In November 2016, the European Commission presented its annual enlargement
package, consisting of a communication that takes stock of the implementation of the
2015 multiannual strategy and a set of reports on the Western Balkan countries and
on Turkey in their capacity of candidates or potential candidates for EU membership. Since 2015, the Commission has been applying a new reporting methodology aimed
at enhanced transparency and comparability among the aspirant countries. In 2016,
it shifted the timeframe for publishing the next enlargement package from the
autumn of 2017 to the spring of 2018, to better align it with the release of the
economic reform programmes and the increased focus on economic governance.
In 2016, the Commission continued prioritising complex and long-term reforms as part
of its 'fundamentals first' approach. Its main message was that enlargement policy
continued to deliver results and promote reforms, albeit slowly and unevenly. The
EU's reconfirmed commitment to the Western Balkan countries' accession processes
was duly reflected in the Slovak Presidency programme, which stressed the
importance of enlargement policy for the EU's own political and economic stability. Amidst a host of increasing complexities and declining public support, concerns have
been raised that enlargement policy might be side-lined. Thus, while the EU needs to
keep up momentum, a significant part of the responsibility rests with the countries
themselves. The region needs political will to keep reforms on the agenda and deliver
results. In this context, regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are once
again brought to the fore as an indispensable means of re-energising common reform
priorities and maximising the benefits for the region.