Citizens in the EU sceptical of the Balkan countries' accession: Polls show least support for Kosovo, Serbia

Most citizens in Germany and Austria oppose the European Union's possible expansion, writes Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), referring to a Eurobarometer survey released in September 2025. At the EU level, 56 per cent of respondents support the admission of new members. In Germany and Austria, however, with 49 percent and 45 percent support respectively, supporters of enlargement are in the minority. In Czechia and France, only 43 percent of respondents support the idea of accepting new countries.

The rejection is partly linked to the poor image of candidates”, the FAZ points out, remembering that apart from Turkey, which officially has candidate status, but for years it has not played an important role in the debates on expansion other candidate countries are from Eastern Europe: six from the Western Balkans, as well as Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, which are currently not considered a serious candidate.

The text stresses that in all these countries, economic performance is below the average of current EU member states. This does not cause enthusiasm, especially in Austria and Germany. Candidates are often perceived as countries that receive more than give. This perception is unfair, but still present in public opinion”, writes FAZ.

Only 15 per cent want Serbia in the EU

It is said that even in the skeptical <x0); Australia” there is support for EU enlargement, but only when it comes to Norway, with 62 percent, and Iceland, with 57 percent support, is a similar situation in Germany.

“Norwegia and Iceland do not arouse fear and are perceived as a potential enrichment for the European Union. While the question of Norway's membership is currently not in order, Iceland may soon become a relevant candidate if citizens in the planned referendum for late August decide to continue membership negotiations, interrupted in 2015”, writes text author Michael Martens.

At the same time, it is stressed that most EU citizens refuse membership of Balkan and Eastern European countries. Only 25 percent of respondents in Austria support Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU entry. Although this is the highest percentage among so-called unwanted ones, it remains very low”, writes Martens.

According to him, Montenegro, northern Macedonia, and Ukraine have 20 percent support, Albania, 17 percent, and Moldova 16 percent. The lowest support is Serbia and Kosovo, with 15 per cent of respondents supporting their EU membership.

Montenegro in package with Iceland?

These results are particularly unfavourable for Montenegro, which the European Commission has long considered “lider” among candidate countries from the Balkans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyeen often emphasises Podgorica's progress. Montenegro is the only candidate to have opened all 33 negotiating chapters and closed more chapters than any other country, total 14. The goal is membership by 2028.

However, authorities in Podgorica are aware of the reservations to Balkan countries. For this reason, according to the FAZ, the idea has come up that Montenegro will try to enter the EU along with a country that is less controvers. If the Irish referendum supports continued negotiations, Montenegro could try to exploit Iceland's positive image and realise a so-called “membership in tandem”. If Iceland opens the doors to the EU, Montenegro would have “entered with it”. On the numeric side, this would not be a problem, since the two countries together have little more than one million inhabitants.

The FAZ also writes that the Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda has talked with Iceland's foreign minister, Katrín Gunnarsdóttir. Asked about the possibility of a joint entry of Montenegro and Iceland into the EU, she did not give a direct answer. However, when asked whether new member states should be admitted unjustly to preserve EU functionality, she replied that “Landanda believes in co-operation under equal conditions and any agreement with the EU should reflect this”.

This is also Montenegro's official position. If such an approach is realistic, it can be seen that next year”, Michael Martens concludes in the Frankfurter Legendine Zeitung article.