Politico: European Commission prepares plan with "benefits" for candidate countries, but without promises of fast-track membership
Kyiv • UNN
The European Commission proposes gradual integration with access to EU funding and market for candidates, including Ukraine. Benefits will be granted depending on reform progress, without promises of fast-track membership.
The European Commission is developing plans to provide candidate countries for EU accession with "economic benefits" before they join the bloc, as EU governments seek ways to speed up enlargement without lowering the bar for membership, Politico reports, writes UNN.
Details
These proposals are part of the European Commission's push for "gradual integration" — "rewarding candidates with broader access to the EU" as they carry out reforms while their membership applications are still being processed, according to two officials.
The benefits under discussion include access to some EU funding programs, preferential trade agreements, and partial access to the single market before accession, with the exact package tailored to each candidate country's progress. The goal is to keep candidate countries on track by providing them with incentives to advance politically complex reforms, even if full membership is still years away.
Unlike previous ideas of "reverse enlargement," which would grant countries political rights before completing the accession process (a plan rejected by EU capitals), gradual integration would offer economic benefits similar to membership without countries joining the EU before they are deemed ready.
"The proposal already has greater political momentum than previous plans," the publication states.
France and Germany — the EU's two heavyweights — have previously supported similar ideas of "light membership" for countries facing long accession timelines, "and officials are optimistic that this approach will prove more acceptable to capitals than previous schemes."
"There must be a parallel but necessary economic integration," said Petras Auštrevičius, a Lithuanian MEP who drafted the European Parliament's enlargement strategy. "The 'more for more' principle is well-tested and should be endorsed as support for those candidates that advance better than others."
"The European Commission will seek support from EU capitals for this initiative, and officials hope leaders will approve work on a broader framework at the European Council in October or December," the publication states.
Under the plans, access to benefits would be granted on a case-by-case basis depending on how much each country has aligned with EU rules and how many reforms it has implemented, one official said. This would mark a significant departure from the current system, under which most benefits are reserved for full members.
These proposals come as governments broadly agree that enlargement should happen faster, especially in light of Russia's war against Ukraine, but remain cautious about admitting countries until they are fully ready. Therefore, Brussels is trying to speed up the process while establishing stronger safeguards to reassure skeptical EU capitals.
"This approach is also designed to ensure that candidate countries such as Ukraine, whose accession is likely to take years despite strong political support, remain fully engaged in the process without promising fast-track membership," the publication notes.
According to one official, countries will have to "build up" access to benefits as they implement reforms, which will help reassure governments concerned about extending membership benefits to non-members.
After meeting with Moldovan officials on Monday, the European Commission said it would pursue both the country's accession and "deepening Moldova's gradual integration into the European Union." Moldova has already been offered access to the Single Euro Payments Area, EU mobile roaming arrangements, and cultural support programs.
Momentum on broader enlargement reform has otherwise been lacking, the publication writes. Although EU leaders at a summit in Montenegro earlier this month agreed that the accession process needs to be accelerated, discussions on how to achieve this have since lost steam.
Ukraine fears its EU membership bid could be delayed – media09.06.26, 22:48 • 4022 views
The EU currently has nine official candidate countries. Montenegro is widely seen as the frontrunner in the race for membership, while Ukraine and Moldova have started accession talks. Other countries, including Serbia, Turkey, and Georgia, have faced blockages in their applications.
While gradual integration aims to make accession more attractive, both Ukraine and Montenegro oppose the concept of "light membership" proposed by France and Germany, arguing it should not replace full membership.
Since the European Commission's previous proposals for "reverse enlargement" failed to gain support from EU countries, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said governments must now decide how to move the debate forward.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is among the leaders pushing for alternative approaches and intended to raise the issue at the European Council summit last week. But the agenda was overloaded, leaving no time for substantive discussion, according to three officials. Instead, leaders are expected to return to the issue at their October meeting.
One diplomat involved in the talks said officials are trying to make up for a "lost decade" for enlargement reform while overcoming resistance from governments seeking to ensure candidate countries complete meaningful reforms before accession.
Kos said earlier this month that the European Commission is also developing new safeguards that would "hit hard" if future member states backslide on democracy or the rule of law after accession — another attempt to reassure governments that the bloc can speed up enlargement without weakening its standards.