The European Union plans to accept six Balkan states until 2025 to renew the community, to strengthen control on migration and counter Russian influence in the Balkans, the Financial Times reported.

According to the source, Brussels believes that the plan is extremely important for their integration into the European community.

“In a way, [the six] are not outsiders, they are already inside, and we need them,” said one pro-enlargement EU diplomat. “That’s why we need to re-energise the enlargement process, without providing any short-cuts.”

Serbia and Montenegro, which have already begun EU accession talks, are the two most likely countries to join EU, outpacing Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

The European Commission intends to urge six states to resolve existing bilateral conflicts, fight corruption and recognize problems that have been noted by other new EU members over the past 10 years