Euronews owner calls for rapid EU enlargement at summit in Brussels

Summit in Brussels: a call to 'enlarge Europe now'

On 3 November 2026, the Euronews Enlargement Summit took place in Brussels, bringing together politicians, experts and business representatives. The central theme was accelerated enlargement of the European Union: the chairman and owner of Euronews, Pedro Vargas David, called to 'complete and reunite the continent.' It is worth noting that the initiative comes from the TV channel itself and its owner — this is Euronews' editorial stance, not a decision of the EU institutions.

The numbers: support in the EU and among candidates

According to figures presented at the summit, 53% of EU citizens currently support enlargement, but the spread is wide: from 79% in Sweden to 35% in France. At the same time, more than two-thirds of Europeans, according to Vargas David, say they are insufficiently informed and want to know more — he sees this as a task for both politicians and the media, including Euronews itself. Among the candidate countries, citing the July report of the European Commission,Albania leads with support above 92%, followed by Georgia (71%), then Ukraine, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina — all above 60%, Moldova at 58%, Turkey at 46%, Serbia at 31%. Vargas David noted that for Serbia, local polls put support closer to 50–55% in the event of a referendum, and among people under 30 it reaches 63%.

The 'Gibraltar model' and gradual engagement

Vargas David proposed discussing changes to the rights and obligations of future members — limiting the veto right, voting rights, access to individual programmes — noting that candidates are showing flexibility under the motto 'let us in as quickly as possible; once inside, we will prove we deserve membership.' One concrete idea is a 'Gibraltar model' for the rapid application of Schengen to the Western Balkans, whose land borders already run exclusively with EU and Schengen countries; he proposed holding the debates primarily in the Council and the Parliament. As an argument, he cited the recent elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia: 'democratic elections, perfect? of course not, but no one doubts that the result reflected the will of the people.'

Candidates and the United Kingdom

The speaker singled out the progress of Montenegro and Albania, expressing hope that in a year they will be 'almost members' of the EU, mentioned the resilience of Ukraine and Moldova, and also took part in a discussion with the prime ministers of Georgia and Armenia — Irakli Kobakhidze and Nikol Pashinyan — whose countries he called European 'in culture, traditions and geography.' He closed with a personal wish: to bring the United Kingdom back to the negotiating table by the next summit — 'if GB News was the television of Brexit, let Euronews become the television of the return' — citing the fact that around 60% of Britons want to rejoin the EU. All these points reflect Vargas David's position; the publications report no decisions by the EU institutions on enlargement, Schengen or the return of the United Kingdom.