António Costa, President of the European Council, has called for a simplification of the EU's accession rules to expedite the membership process for Western Balkan nations, emphasizing the need to demonstrate seriousness about their EU aspirations. Speaking from Tivat, Montenegro, where an EU-Western Balkans summit is set to take place, Costa highlighted the cumbersome nature of the current methodology, which requires over 40 votes for decisions. He suggested that unanimity should only be necessary for closing chapters of the accession process, allowing for more flexibility in opening them. Costa also proposed addressing bilateral issues between candidate countries independently to prevent delays. The summit will include discussions on new strategies for integration, with Costa expressing optimism about Ukraine's membership negotiations. A Franco-German non-paper aims to inject new momentum into the enlargement process by simplifying rules and offering incentives for gradual integration of candidate countries. The choice of Montenegro as the summit location underscores its status as a frontrunner for EU membership, potentially becoming the 28th member state soon.