Europe Today: Euronews Enlargement Summit kicks off in Brussels as US midterms test Trump

Name: Europe Today: Euronews Enlargement Summit kicks off in Brussels as US midterms test Trump
Uploaded: 2026-11-03T07:48:23+00:00
Duration: 20 min
Channel: euronews (in English)

00:14Good morning, it's Tuesday, November 3rd. You're watching Euronews and this is Europe Today.

00:22Our top stories. Europe is preparing for a new chapter in its history and today Brussels will be at the

00:29center of the debate.

00:30The Euronews Enlargement Summit brings together EU leaders and the countries hoping to join the bloc as enlargement moves from

00:38a distant ambition to a very real political question.

00:42Montenegro and Albania are closing in on membership while Ukraine and others are looking to Europe amid a changing geopolitical

00:49landscape.

00:50America is heading towards a political showdown today.

00:53As polls open for the midterm elections in just a few hours, Donald Trump faces a crucial test of his

01:00presidency.

01:01Republicans are fighting to hold on to their majorities in Congress while Democrats see an opportunity to regain power and

01:08put the White House under pressure.

01:10The stakes are enormous, not just for Trump's domestic agenda, but for the future direction of American politics.

01:18And Belgium's Prime Minister, Barth de Wever, offered his government's resignation to King Philippe yesterday.

01:24It came after overnight negotiations with his core cabinet on the budget failed to reach an agreement.

01:30The king now wants to consult the coalition party leaders starting today.

01:35De Wever is set to meet with the monarch again on Friday.

01:38The Belgian budget deficit amounted to 5% last year while only 3% is permitted under European rules.

01:46Welcome to the program. I'm Stefan Grobe.

01:49But first, in Brussels today, Euronews will bring together heads of state and governments from some of the countries aspiring

01:56to become the next members of the European Union.

02:00Euronews's Enlargement Summit gets underway later this morning with discussions to focus on the progress of EU candidate countries,

02:08the reforms required on both sides, and the economic opportunities and implications of EU enlargement.

02:14Our correspondent, Marit Gwynne-Jones, is standing by for us.

02:18Marit, give us a taste of what we can expect today.

02:25Well, yes, Stefan, preparations well underway here for a summit that really comes at what feels like a pivotal moment

02:32for the EU's efforts to enlarge.

02:35Accepting new member countries is being described as a geopolitical imperative amid the war in Ukraine,

02:42perceived security threats and also increased geopolitical competition.

02:46We know that the question of Ukraine's future EU membership is becoming intertwined with ongoing peace negotiations.

02:54We will be hearing from the Ukrainian prime minister here at the Euronews Summit later today.

03:00But also in the Western Balkans, there is a feeling that we are on the verge of a major breakthrough,

03:05with Montenegro looking to become the EU's next member state within the course of next year.

03:12There have been some doubts over whether bilateral disputes between the Croatian and the Montenegrin governments could send that timetable

03:20back.

03:20We will be hearing from both governments, including from the Croatian prime minister, Andrei Plenković.

03:26But, Stefan, we can expect some tough conversations here today as well.

03:30We will be hearing from Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, just as anti-government protests continue to rage

03:37on in the country,

03:38as well as from the Georgian prime minister just two years after his country's bid to become an EU member

03:44was halted by Brussels over concerns over a crackdown on dissent.

03:50So expect a lot of conversations with major leaders here today on an issue that Stefan really is becoming an

03:58issue

03:58that is top of the political agenda here in Brussels.

04:02Merit Gwynne-Jones from the Euronews Enlargement Summit at AutoWorld.

04:07And now to a very special candidate country, Ukraine.

04:11Kiev hopes to open its two remaining EU negotiating clusters before the end of the year,

04:16despite delays in Budapest.

04:18In an exclusive interview with Euronews, ahead of the European Commission's latest enlargement report,

04:24Ukraine's ambassador to the EU, Taras Kachka, said there were no substantive disagreements with Hungary holding up the process.

04:32He also defended Kiev's progress on reforms, despite concerns over delays in adopting key legislation.

04:39For more on this, our Ukraine correspondent, Sasha Vakulina, joins me now in the studio.

04:44Good morning, Sasha.

04:45So the European Commission is about to release its latest enlargement assessment.

04:52How does Ukraine see its progress towards EU membership and what challenges does Kiev also see?

05:00Kiev does see challenges, but what is important, and this is something that Taras Kachka told me,

05:06is for Ukraine to get the timeline and to get the timeline not postponed, but rather fast-tracked.

05:11This was, of course, an exclusive interview, the first one since Taras Kachka took over the new position as the

05:17head of the mission of Ukraine to the European Union.

05:20So it was really interesting to see his perspective.

05:22Also, of course, given Ukraine's unique case.

05:24Now, we are talking about the country almost five years into defending itself against Russia's brutal full-scale invasion,

05:32implementing those reforms and pushing to open those clusters during the all-out war.

05:38And at the same time, when you look at all the candidates, Stefan, of course, Ukraine, regarding its size and

05:43importance,

05:44this is a different case, which will be much harder for the European Union to accept and to digest.

05:49Let's take a listen to what he said.

05:50The report should highlight how fast we can move on closing the chapters, but also indicating what are the maybe

06:01some challenges.

06:02We do not see challenges in domestic politics in terms of applying a key.

06:07We might see challenges that are stemming from security situation, Russian aggression,

06:11and the fact that Ukraine is really one of the biggest candidate status among four frontrunners.

06:20It's definitely the biggest one, so therefore there might be more complex negotiations, but it is not a problem.

06:27You've mentioned the challenge.

06:28Some of those are in regards to Ukraine's reform commitment.

06:32Some important reforms have faced delays in the parliament in Kyiv.

06:37What is holding up this progress?

06:39Government and parliament is getting stronger in the recent weeks, so therefore the tempo will be only faster.

06:47At least I expect this, and there are chances for this.

06:50So therefore I think that Ukraine definitely is delivering, is getting to deliver faster and better,

06:56and I hope that the enlargement package report will confirm that this general assessment of Ukraine being able to adopt

07:04everything by the end of 2027,

07:06and therefore be advanced in 2027 with closing chapters will be confirmed.

07:13I've got to mention the amended minority education legislation, which was of course crucial as it cleared the way for

07:20two Monegu sitting clusters to open,

07:22and yet Hungary now blocked the progress on the two remaining clusters.

07:26What does Budapest want now?

07:30I think that this word block misleads us.

07:35Indeed, Hungary requested an additional time for consideration for brainstorming on certain decisions.

07:44For the second and third clusters, we adopted what we agreed previously,

07:49and it was something that was elaborated during previous several years.

07:54Therefore, it was well known for Ukrainian society, for Ukrainian MPs,

08:00and it was rather additional boost for decision-making in Hungary.

08:04So now we see that we have a full mutual understanding of Hungary,

08:09so therefore it is a matter of time and planning how we open remaining two clusters before the end of

08:17this year.

08:17You say Hungary and the government in Budapest is taking its time a little bit.

08:21Does it still have to do with the minority education rights, or there is another reason?

08:26No, it's a matter of processing.

08:28On the same issue, on the minority rights?

08:30No, no, generally, so that for the clusters, clusters 4 and 5, for the policies that are covered.

08:34It's a different issue, not the one that has already been sorted.

08:37This is what I'm trying to understand.

08:38There are no issues.

08:39There is a processing of all these documents.

08:41Right.

08:42So there are no substantive requirements, disagreements or concerns.

08:46So this is rather a matter of how the documents are processed, assessed, read,

08:51because there are like several hundred pages of documents in this, let's say, support in the opening of this cluster.

08:57Right.

08:58And on the minority education legislation, all adopted, all agreed, has it been implemented in Ukraine?

09:03Yes, they work.

09:04These rules are works.

09:06So they're all in place.

09:07Some of them, let's say, have been de facto operational even before.

09:11So now they properly work for everyone, for every school with national minorities.

09:18When we spoke last time, I asked you about the possibility of Ukraine getting the idea floated by some member

09:24states

09:25about the associate membership and somehow half steps towards that.

09:28Does that change the take for Kyiv, knowing that there is another country that might get different type of associate

09:35membership,

09:36half stepping into the European Union?

09:39The case of Canada illustrates that associate membership is a term that is rather better suits the partnerships with friends

09:49who are friends,

09:50but rather distance and will not join the European Union.

09:53I hope that we will still have four frontrunners with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania.

10:00And it means that EU sees us as a frontrunner.

10:05So that's why we don't need to shift to any alternatives.

10:13Ukraine's ambassador Taras Kachka speaking to Sasha Vakulina.

10:18Montenegro wants to become the European Union's next success story.

10:21After years of negotiations, Podgorica is presenting itself as the frontrunner among the Western Balkan candidates.

10:29But the final stretch may prove the hardest.

10:32Judicial independence, corruption and the rule of law remain key tests.

10:37And questions remain about whether the EU itself is politically ready to welcome new members.

10:43To go deeper into this topic, I'm now joined in our studio by Montenegro's ambassador to the European Union, Peter

10:49Markovic.

10:50Good morning and welcome.

10:51Good morning. Thank you for having me.

10:53So Montenegro has repeatedly presented itself as the frontrunner in the EU enlargement process.

11:00Why should people believe that this time membership is just around the corner?

11:05Well, because it's not Montenegro presenting itself as a frontrunner.

11:09It's the European Commission.

11:10And just in the last year, 14 times all EU member states agreed with the Commission that we are the

11:19frontrunner

11:19because that's how many chapters we closed between the last report and the incoming one coming, well, being published tomorrow.

11:26So that means that the all EU 27 member states and the institutions of the EU repeatedly claim Montenegro is

11:36the frontrunner.

11:36And we are, and we indeed are, because we have been working around the clock for years now.

11:42And this summer we didn't even have a summer break.

11:45We were really working around the clock to fulfill 150 deliverables in the rule of law area.

11:52So when you say it's now the test of fighting corruption and boostering our rule of law, this is not

11:59now the test.

12:00This test has been passed.

12:01We have forwarded to the Commission the reports claiming and showing evidence by evidence that we have fulfilled these 150

12:11deliverables.

12:11You have said 2028, that's not that far away, as your target for EU accession.

12:18Now, is this still a realistic deadline or has it become a political slogan?

12:23No, not at all.

12:24It's very much realistic.

12:26Just a few weeks ago, the president of the Commission, Madame von der Leyen, was in Podgorica and she said,

12:31we believe in Montenegro becoming the 28 member by the end of 2028.

12:35So it is on track, not just by Montenegro's standards, but by those who actually are deciding.

12:43What are the two or three biggest obstacles Montenegro still needs to overcome before it can close the accession process?

12:54So, but there is now an ongoing process to amend our constitution for the second time in just a few

13:02months

13:02as part of the obligations in Chapter 23 on Judiciary and Justice.

13:09It is a process which is lengthy because our constitution cannot be changed at once.

13:14It's a three-pronged process and we are now halfway through it and we expect to do it within this

13:19month.

13:20So this is the biggest domestic obstacle we are facing.

13:23We are also facing the intensified talks with our closest EU member state and neighbor Croatia

13:32to resolve some open questions of mutual interest, which we are confident will be done satisfactorily for both sides.

13:41Also record quickly in order for the process to not stall.

13:47And how much of the remaining work is in Montenegro's hands and how much depends on decisions made in Brussels

13:54and in EU capitals?

13:56So there's 33 negotiated chapters at this point.

14:01We have submitted all the reports and done all the homework testifying that we have not only adopted legislation,

14:08but employed people, changed things on the ground.

14:11All this has been done some 10 days ago.

14:15So Montenegro has finished its homework at this stage of our accession saga.

14:20And it's really in the hands of the EU member states now.

14:25Yeah, it is a saga.

14:26When did it first start?

14:27We applied for, well, the negotiations really started in 2012.

14:32And I might remind your viewers that we are the only member states among 10 of them now, candidate countries,

14:39that has had to negotiate to open each chapter separately before the French new methodology.

14:45So we have done the double work compared to other candidates.

14:49All right, Peter Markovic, Montenegro's ambassador to the European Union.

14:53Thank you so much for coming on this morning.

14:56And now, America is heading into a crucial political test today.

15:00And for Donald Trump, the stakes could hardly be higher.

15:03The economy, immigration, and Trump's own popularity have been dominating the midterm election campaign.

15:09So is this a referendum on the president?

15:12And what happens to the Republican Party if voters turn against him?

15:17Let's bring in Republican strategist and owner and president of consultancy firm Clink Campaigns, Matt Clink,

15:23who joins us from Los Angeles.

15:25Good morning, or rather good evening.

15:28Great to have you on.

15:30Good morning.

15:31So with Donald Trump's approval ratings at 30%, is he a liability for Republican candidates in today's elections?

15:40Well, let's put it this way.

15:42The Republicans were always going to face headwinds heading into this election cycle.

15:47The party that holds power, his party tends to lose 22 seats in the House at a minimum.

15:53So that would give the Democrats a strong majority in the House.

15:58But Donald Trump's unpopularity that you just pointed to, that's a further drag.

16:04And the affordability issue, the war with Iraq or Iran, excuse me, those are the—and the tariffs are the three

16:11main issues

16:12that have really caused Republicans across the country to really struggle this election cycle.

16:18Yeah, you mentioned the tariffs.

16:20Traditionally, the economy is one of the biggest factors in midterm elections.

16:24Why should Americans give Republicans another mandate if they remain unhappy about the cost of living?

16:31Well, I think that's the whole point of what the election is ultimately going to be fought on is, you

16:37know, look,

16:38that the memories of Biden and Harris are not that far in the rearview mirror when we did have 9

16:44% inflation under Joe Biden

16:47and everything costs more.

16:48And Donald Trump promised that he was going to bring those numbers down.

16:51And some are down, but frankly, a lot of them aren't down enough.

16:55And some are actually up, like gasoline prices.

16:58And I think the voters are going to take that anger out on Republican candidates across the country tomorrow.

17:05If Democrats win back one or both chambers today, would this mark the death knell for the Republican legislative agenda?

17:13And what would happen to the Republican Party then?

17:15Well, the Republican Party itself is absolutely strong.

17:19I mean, don't forget, you know, Donald Trump is still the president for two more years.

17:24I do think that it would if the Democrats take one or both houses, it will certainly put the squash

17:32on any Republican agenda

17:35for the last two years of the president's term.

17:39But, frankly, that happens every time that parties switch power.

17:46So, you know, again, Donald Trump will rule by executive order and veto.

17:51And if the Democrats win one or both, they're not going to win by massive majorities.

17:56So I would think gridlock will be the word of the day for 2027 and 2028.

18:03Yeah, Trump has said he'll be Mr. Veto in that case and then maybe strike deals.

18:08Now, Democrats are already threatening investigations into the Trump administration.

18:13Should Republicans be worried about subpoenas, hearings and potentially damaging revelations?

18:20Well, I think there always is the possibility.

18:23I mean, look, when when your party controls the executive and the legislative branches,

18:28let's just say that the oversight responsibility that Congress has isn't a top priority.

18:33It's moving the president's agenda forward.

18:36Now that the House and if the Senate goes Democrat, the Senate, they will exert that oversight.

18:42And that means holding hearings on the Iran war, on the tariffs, on some of the president's finances.

18:50So, yeah, there will be some some or some revelations and some things that will be quite shocking.

18:56Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the House impeached the president for a third time.

19:01It's doubtful that they will get the requisite two thirds vote in the Senate to formalize that impeachment.

19:08And don't forget, Donald Trump's already been impeached twice and it didn't hurt him.

19:12He got reelected for office.

19:14All right.

19:15Matt Klink, political consultant and Republican strategist.

19:18Thank you so much for your insights.

19:21All the fun stuff happens tomorrow.

19:23That's for the end of today's episode.

19:26I'm Stefan Grobe.

19:27Take care and I see you tomorrow.

19:31Bye.

19:34Bye.

19:37Bye.

19:40Bye.

19:44Bye.

19:54Bye.

19:55Bye.

19:59Bye.

Europe Today: Euronews Enlargement Summit kicks off in Brussels as US midterms test Trump

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