Russian as well as other actors’ influence is growing while mutual recriminations about the past and unsolved problems inhibit stronger regional cooperation. For those reasons, progress towards EU accession in recent years has been very slow. On the other hand, the rise of populism inside the EU as well as general criticism towards European integration is causing EU leaders to suspend any further concrete announcements regarding accession. Nonetheless, current difficulties should not lead to a standstill in cooperation between the EU and its southeastern partners. This having said, the long term vision for the whole region requires stronger engagement.