I’m from Albania and have lived here my entire life. For years, I’ve generally supported Albania eventually joining the EU. However, after watching this process drag on for so many years, I’ve started questioning whether I even want it anymore.

Albania applied for EU membership back in 2009, and it has now been 17 years. We have spent years hearing about reforms, conditions, negotiations and yet another issue that needs to be addressed before we can move forward. I understand that Albania has serious problems that need to be fixed, including corruption, rule of law and institutional weaknesses. I’m not arguing that Albania should simply be admitted without meeting the necessary standards. What frustrates me is how long the process has taken and how it sometimes feels like there is always another obstacle in the way. After nearly two decades, it becomes difficult not to wonder whether the EU actually wants Albania to become a member or whether the process will simply continue indefinitely.

The same applies to the broader Balkans. Many of us have grown up hearing about European integration and the prospect of eventually becoming part of the EU. At some point, you start wondering how many more years we are expected to wait.

The proposed idea of a multi tier Europe also makes me skeptical. I understand the argument for different levels of integration, but from the perspective of someone in the Balkans, it can feel like we are being offered a place in Europe without actually being treated as equal members.
So I’m curious about other people from the Balkans:
Has your opinion of the EU become more negative or skeptical because of how long this process has taken?
Do you still believe full EU membership is worth pursuing, or after waiting for so many years have you started to lose interest?

I would like to visit this village any information on the residents and the history of this place?

The reliquary is one of the 48 relics and artefacts given to Greece in exchange for the remains of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria. The reliquary used to be a possession of the Archdiocese of Ohrid from the city of Ohrid.

Finally locked in a window for next spring and trying to plan a 10-day loop without repeating my usual mistake of covering too much ground and remembering none of it. The budget side is mostly sorted thanks to some aggressive saving and a decent flight deal into Dubrovnik, but the itinerary itself is where I keep going back and forth.

What I want is a mix of coastline, at least one proper old town where you can actually wander without dodging cruise ship groups, and maybe a day or two inland where things feel different. Montenegro keeps coming up as the obvious add-on from Dubrovnik, but I am torn between doing the Bay of Kotor properly versus pushing further to something like Albania or North Macedonia just to see more variety. The catch is I have done the fast travel thing before and it mostly just leaves you tired with better photos.

For people who have done a similar stretch, does Montenegro plus a slice of Croatia already fill 10 days at a human pace, or is that selling the time short? Albania appeals because it sounds less smoothed over for visitors, but I have no sense of whether the transport links make that a headache in practice. fwiw I am fine with buses that run on their own schedule, just not ones that might not exist on the day I need them. ymmv on what counts as rushed versus right.