Commissioner Kos: EU enlargement now possible, in our interest, but issues need to be resolved

EU Commissioner Marta Kos stated on Tuesday in Strasbourg that enlargement of the European Union is not only possible today but also serves the long-term interests of peace, security, and prosperity in Europe. The commissioner presented a package of documents adopted by the European Commission concerning the EU's preparations for future enlargement.

Kos emphasized that a larger Union would strengthen the political and economic influence of the EU in an increasingly competitive world. She also highlighted that enlargement offers tangible benefits to EU citizens by strengthening democracy, security, and solidarity, as well as by enhancing the single market, creating jobs, and opening up opportunities for people and businesses.

The EU enlargement package focuses on various aspects, with Kos outlining five groups of proposed measures. The first group addresses governance, the rule of law, and policies, presenting solutions such as optimizing the use of passerelle clauses and expanding the use of qualified majority voting. Kos explained that reducing the number of areas where a single country could veto decisions supported by all other member states is also proposed.

The second point concerns a more ambitious approach to gradual integration, aiming to expand opportunities for candidate countries to integrate into specific areas of EU activity even before obtaining full membership. Kos stressed that gradual integration would require progress on reforms and strategic alignment of positions by candidate countries.

The third point focuses on establishing a common framework for accession and safeguarding the integrity of the enlargement process. Kos emphasized that candidate countries must meet high rule-of-law standards and warned about potential safeguard mechanisms, such as suspending financial support or restricting voting rights. The fourth point concerns the impact of accession on EU policies, with the Commission analyzing that the EU is already prepared for enlargement in most policy areas, although certain sectors may require adjustments.

The fifth and final point involves creating roadmaps for the four candidate countries with the greatest progress, Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine. These roadmaps will set out the next steps, preliminary timelines, and clear expected outcomes, increasing predictability in the accession process.