Dhe President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has for the first time given a date for the possible enlargement of the European Union. “I believe that by 2030 we must be ready on both sides to expand,” Michel said in a keynote speech at the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia on Monday.
He related this to the necessary reforms in the states of the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, to which the heads of state and government have promised a European perspective. However, Michel also emphasized that the Member States themselves must become receptive. “It only makes sense for new states to join a union that works well, that is efficient,” he said. That will require many reforms and a lot of political courage, especially with the next financial framework for the years 2028 to 2034. Because the new EU members will remain net recipients for the foreseeable future.
Michel announced that he intends to discuss these issues with leaders as part of the so-called strategic agenda for 2025-2030. A first discussion on this is planned at the informal meeting in Granada in early October, followed by the councils at the end of October and in December. Linked to this is the decision, due at the end of the year, to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. In Bled, Michel said that the prospects for Bosnia-Hercegovina and Georgia should also be on the table.
States should not be able to block each other
Irrespective of the target date of 2030, the Council President stressed that while all countries would join together, it was desirable but unrealistic. Each country must meet the conditions for itself. In this context, he especially mentioned constitutional reforms and the protection of national minorities. In addition, conflicts between member states would have to be settled beforehand. “There is no cooperation without reconciliation,” said Michel. ” There is no room in the EU for conflicts of the past.”
This not only referred to conflicts between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, but also to the difficult relations between Serbia and Kosovo, which at the end of last year was the last country in the Western Balkans to apply for membership. Specifically, Michel proposed a “confidence clause” to “ensure that countries that have just joined cannot block future member states”.
The heads of state and government of the Western Balkans had already assured Ukraine of their support at a summit meeting in Athens a week ago. In a joint statement, they highlighted that their countries, which have been aspiring to EU membership at different stages of progress, shared a “common European heritage, history and future” with Ukraine and Moldova. “As a strategic investment in peace, security and stability in Europe, it is important that these regions are embraced as full members of the European family,” it said. The signatories were in favor of setting a time target for this, without naming one themselves.
In Athens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who attended the meeting himself, once again urged that accession negotiations with his country begin this year. Every effort is being made to achieve “maximum results” in implementing the recommendations with which the EU Commission and the European Council linked this step last year. “A positive assessment” is therefore expected in October when the Commission presents its accession reports. At the end of June, the responsible enlargement commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi, painted a mixed picture of the progress made so far. Kiev has therefore fulfilled two of seven conditions, Moldova three of nine.
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