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did you know there are 10 countries keen on joining the European Union some of them have been candidates for years and are no closer to joining now than they were a decade ago let's take a quick look at all of them and the year they applied in turkey has been waiting the longest applying in 1987 then North Macedonia in 2004 Montenegro in 2008 Albania and Serbia in 2009 Bosnia and herova in 2016 and Ukraine mova Georgia and Kosovo each applied in 2022 now before we rank them we need to understand how a country actually joins the EU in the first place it's a four-step process step one a country applies to join the EU this is like saying Hey I want to be part of the club if the application is accepted the country becomes a candidate this means they're officially in the running to join the EU next comes the negotiation phase this is where the hard work happens the country has to negotiate and close 35 chapters covering different areas like economy Judiciary and human rights and finally once all chapters are closed the agreement needs to be ratified by all EU member states the European Parliament and the candidate country itself and that's it meet all of these steps and you're a new member of the EU but trust me it's not as easy as it sounds so where in the process are all of these countries let's start with the oldest applicant turkey turkey received candidate status in 1999 a negotiation started in in 2005 ever since out of the 35 chapters they need to close only 16 have been opened and just one closed by 2016 in 2016 a refugee deal between turkey and the EU was supposed to speed things up even allowing Visa free travel for Turks but since then talks have stalled the EU has accused turkey of human rights violations and deficits in the rule of law the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum which created a strong presidency was seen as a violation of the eu's Copenhagen criteria these criteria require stable institutions that guarantee democracy the rule of law human rights and protection of minorities in 2019 a European Parliament committee voted to suspend accession talks and since then negotiations have come to a standstill public opinion in Turkey still stands at around 48% in favor of joining the EU however there's little political will from both sides to reinvigorate the process therefore we turkey as number 10 least likely to join next next up let's talk about Kosovo who formerly submitted its application for EU membership in 2022 but is not yet considered an official candidate by the European Union the biggest issue is that five EU member states do not recognize Kosovo as an independent country kosovo's Declaration of Independence in 2008 was not recognized by Serbia which still claims Kosovo as part of its territory this non-recognition makes it tricky for OVO to move forward in the accession process because unanimous agreement among all EU member states is required but public opinion on Kosovo is very proe with 67% of kosovars believing EU membership would be a good thing but given the territorial disputes with Serbia and the substantial reforms needed we see the likelihood of Kosovo joining as very low therefore we rank them as number nine just a bit more likely than turkey but still facing significant challenges now let's move on to Georgia who submitted his application for EU membership in 2022 and was granted candidate status in 2023 the biggest hurdle is that parts of the country are occupied by Russian troops who fully control the regions of abazia and South otia Georgia also doesn't share a common border with any EU nation and some think that the only way Georgia will join the EU is if Turkey joins first or at the same time then there are allegations of democratic backsliding and creeping authoritarianism within the ruling Georgian dream party this is especially concerning with the recently approved foreign agents law often referred to as the Russian bill which is argued to suppress Independent Media nonprofits and activists despite these obstacles though public opinion in Georgia is strongly proe with 74% of citizens supporting membership but given the challenges we see the likelihood of Georgia joining the EU as relatively low and will rank them as number eight now let's talk about Bosnia and heroa who applied for EU membership in 2016 and were granted candidate status in 2022 Bosnia and heroa faces significant political instability and complex governance issues due to its ethnically divided political system the country is composed of two entities the Federation of Bosnia and herova and the Republic of cska each with its own government and a high level of autonomy this division often leads to political gridlock and hampers the implementation of necessary reforms especially as they will need to change your Constitution to meet the necessary criteria nonetheless public opinion in Bosnia and heroa is generally in favor of joining the EU with 60% of citizens seeing it as a path to stability economic growth and stronger governance but many reforms are necessary and we don't think they will join anytime soon therefore they will rank as number seven now before we go to our number six have you ever wondered about your own family's past this brings me to today's sponsor my Heritage a true Game Changer I started by simply entering information about my parents and grandparents and whoop there it was I discovered my great-grandparents and many generations further back the process was so easy even with little family information to start with as my Heritage has over 19 billion historical records to work with I also stumbled upon some astonishing facts I always thought my family was entirely European but guess what I found out that I have ancestors who have roots in turkey and Indonesia looks like the Dutch Colonial past in Indonesia wasn't just a chapter in the history books but a part of my own family story who knew and check this out I uploaded this old family photo to my Heritage their tools let me repair colorize enhance and even animate it it's like bringing my family's history into the present and here's something exciting you can sign up for a 14-day trial to explore the vast resources of my Heritage start your journey into your family's past today and find the link in the description now let's move to Moldova which submitted its application for EU membership in 2022 and was granted candidate status later that year for mova the biggest obstacle is the Breakaway region of transnistria which is not under movan government control and hosts Russian troops mdova also has a history of political turmoil with frequent changes in government and allegations of corruption at high levels public opinion of mova is not overwhelmingly in favor of joining the EU either with only 38% thinking it would be a good thing nonetheless the current proe government is committed to pursuing EU membership and implementing necessary reforms plus there's a lot of political will from the EU to make this happen given these challenges we see the likelihood of mova joining the EU as moderate in the near future and will rank them as number six now let's move on to Ukraine which submitted its application for EU membership in 2022 and was granted candidate status later that year now obviously the ongoing conflict with Russia Russia is the most significant challenge the war has caused immense destruction and instability making it difficult for Ukraine to meet the eu's criteria for stable institutions guaranteeing democracy the rule of law and human rights additionally parts of Ukraine are currently occupied by Russian forces and the EU is simply unlikely to accept a country with active territorial conflicts Ukraine also faces significant economic challenges the war has severely impacted its economy with issues of corruption and governance fur complicating Ukraine's path to EU membership but public opinion Ukraine is strongly in favor of joining the EU at 91% in 2022 there's also considerable political support from both Ukraine and the EU driven by solidarity in response to Russia's aggression this political will could play a crucial role in accelerating Ukraine's accession process once the conflict is resolved given these challenges and the current situation we see the likelihood of Ukraine joining the EU as moderate in the near near future therefore we rank them as number five now let's move on to Serbia which applied for EU membership in 2009 and began accession negotiations in 2014 Serbia has already opened 22 out of the 35 chapters needed to join and close two yet there are hurdles the EU has made it clear that Serbia must resolve its dispute with Kosovo before it can join this is a significant obstacle as Serbia does not recognize kosovo's Independence and tensions between the two regions remain high public opinion in Serbia about joining the EU is also mixed with only 33% in favor while some see as a path to economic growth and stability others are skeptical due to the EU stance on Kosovo and concerns about losing National sovereignty political support within Serbia for EU membership is also divided with some leaders expressing strong pro-european sentiments While others lean towards closer ties with Russia and China therefore we see the likelihood of Serbia joining as moderate and rank them as number four now let's move on to Albania and North Macedonia whose EU accession processes have been closely tied both countries submitted their applications for EU membership North Macedonia in 2004 and Albania in 2009 and were granted candidate status in 2005 and 2014 respectively Albania has made significant strides in judicial reform the fight against corruption and strengthening the rule of law and public opinion is crazy high in favor of EU membership at 77% however Albania did not start accession negotiations because his ceny is linked to that of North Macedonia which faced a veto from both Greece and Bulgaria first North Macedonia had to change its name from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to North Macedonia to resolve a 27-year dispute with Greece and open the door for EU and NATO membership second and more recently Bulgaria's veto related to historical and linguistic disputes delayed the start of accession negotiations even further however these vetos have now been lifted and the countries can begin negotiations with the EU therefore we rank them together as number three and number two Albania slightly higher as we could see them going at it alone if North Macedonia runs into more problems now let's move on to Montenegro which applied for EU membership in 2008 and was granted candidate status in 2010 Montenegro began accession negotiations in 2012 and has made significant progress since having opened 30 3 out of the 35 chapters necessary for EU accession and provisionally closed three notably montenigro already uses the Euro which aligns it closely with the eu's economic framework public opinion at Montenegro is very much in favor of EU membership too at 83% however even here challenges remain particularly related to organized crime corruption media freedom and the independence of the Judiciary despite these challenges though in a recent EU Montenegro meeting a clear Target was set Montenegro is firmly committed to becoming the 28th member by 2028 thus montro is the front runner in the EU accession process and we will rank them as our number one the most likely country to join next so here's our final list what do you think of our analysis and do you think montenigro will join by 2028 let us know in the comments and if you enjoyed the video please give us a like And subscribe and remember to check out my Heritage and start your 14-day trial to journey into your family's past today find the link in the description and if you want to support us further please consider signing up to patreon until next time