The European Commission proposes granting EU candidate countries more benefits as part of their gradual integration, as well as introducing new safeguards that would limit their rights if, after joining the EU, these states halted reforms or refused to fulfill their obligations. EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos announced the preparation of a package of relevant changes in Strasbourg on Tuesday, October 6. DW reports, UNN writes.
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According to her, a preliminary assessment of how the accession of new countries could affect the European Union showed that "the EU is already ready for enlargement, but there are areas that will require adjustments." In particular, to make the European Union "more flexible and effective," the Commission proposes applying the so-called passerelle clauses of the EU treaties and replacing unanimity with qualified majority voting.
This would allow the European Union to narrow the range of issues on which one country can use its veto to block a decision. This concerns, in particular, interim decisions in the EU accession negotiation process, such as opening negotiating clusters, which currently require unanimity.
Gradual integration before joining the EU
As for gradual integration, under which a candidate country that successfully implements certain reforms gains access to individual EU programs or funds, this approach is not new to the enlargement methodology. Some countries, including Ukraine, already have such benefits.
At the same time, Kos asserts that the document proposed by the European Commission envisages "more ambitious involvement of candidate countries in certain areas of EU activity," particularly in the fields of energy, transport, artificial intelligence, security, and defense.
At the same time, the European commissioner emphasized that gradual integration is not a substitute for full membership, but rather "a tool that accelerates the enlargement process."