Accession Update: Which Country Will Join the EU Next?

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Ahead of Iceland’s EU accession referendum this weekend, we take another look at the current crop of candidate countries and see who has made progress, who has stalled in the process and who is most likely to become the 28th EU member state?

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Sources: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4_7arwUMEw
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/24/icelands-moment-of-reckoning-what-the-referendum-means-for-the-eu 
https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/eu-enlargement_en 
https://readinessindex.eu/ 
https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/countries/kosovo_en 
https://readinessindex.eu/#/country/kosovo 
https://www.turkishminute.com/2026/08/17/erdogan-says-eu-membership-is-not-a-priority-for-turkey/ 
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/delegations/en/joint-statement-on-the-georgian-governme/product-details/20241129DPU39689 
https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/european-commission-says-georgia-a-candidate-country-in-name-only/ 
https://www.euinsider.eu/news/epic-enlargement-bosnia-collapse-2026 
https://www.politico.eu/article/bulgaria-european-parliament-bill-north-macedonia-eu-accession-green-austria-waitz-lobby-vote-smear-campaign/ 
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/07/08/eight-member-states-oppose-the-opening-of-serbias-next-eu-accession-cluster 
https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/08/13/might-moldova-merge-with-romania 
https://english.nv.ua/nation/hungary-again-blocks-two-clusters-in-ukraine-s-eu-accession-talks-50628208.html
https://www.clingendael.org/publication/albanias-eu-accession-sprint-balancing-momentum-reform-and-eu-scrutiny 
https://www.economist.com/the-world-in-brief/2026/08/22/03a85e89-8de5-405b-a27c-5c6763fd0ad8 
https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/countries/montenegro_en 
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/24/icelands-moment-of-reckoning-what-the-referendum-means-for-the-eu 
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/24/icelands-moment-of-reckoning-what-the-referendum-means-for-the-eu 
https://www.euronews.com/2026/08/25/armenia-announces-historic-intention-to-apply-for-eu-membership

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