The idea of enlarging the European Union will be in the spotlight at two consecutive summits of European countries this week in Granada, Spain.
Enlargement is now back at the top of the political agenda following Russia’s war on Ukraine, but the bloc first faces the difficult task of reforming its budget, institutions and processes decision-making before being able to welcome new members.
No fewer than 47 heads of state and government from across the continent will discuss this and other pressing topics, such as migration, security, environment, energy and artificial intelligence, when they will meet on Thursday for the so-called European Political Community, which, in their own words, aims to “make Europe more resilient, more prosperous and geostrategic”.
This new configuration was created last year in response to Russian aggression and now serves as a forum for Europe-wide discussions, including on how to integrate new members into the EU.
Five Western Balkan countries, which have been in the bloc’s queue for decades, along with Ukraine and Moldova, have pressured Brussels to speed up the accession process in response to the aggression of Russia.
But for the EU to grow from its current 27 members to potentially more than 30, a lot needs to change, as Fraser Cameron, an analyst at the European Policy Centre, a Brussels-based think tank, told Euronews.
“It will be necessary to reorient the main spending priorities towards agriculture and cohesion because obviously Ukraine, if it enters without any changes, will swallow up most of the budget and this will not be acceptable to many member states “Cameron said. in an interview.
“So there’s going to be a difficult negotiation in terms of budget, who pays, who gets what.”
Cameron added that previous enlargement rounds missed the opportunity to reform the current unanimous vote to make it more effective. avoid vetoes on key issueslike foreign affairs.
This thinking is shared by the largest Member States.
A recent report sponsored by France and Germany stressed the need to adopt qualified majority voting for foreign and security policy decisions to avoid them falling victim to individual vetoes.
The report also outlines four levels of political alignment, from full-time EU membership to the broader European Political Community coalition.
But for Vlad Gheorghe, a Romanian MEP, EU membership should mean the same rules for everyone.
“We have to be very careful not to have second-tier countries within the European Union. I have heard a lot of talk here in Brussels about the idea of having first-tier countries, perhaps the countries the oldest, and the newest countries becoming second-rate countries, and that’s a very bad thing,” Gheorghe told Euronews.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Grenada summit, European Council President Charles Michel reiterated his speech that the EU must be ready for enlargement by 2030.
Michel will chair an informal meeting of EU leaders on Friday where he will have the opportunity to develop his proposal.
“The aim of setting a date is to open everyone’s eyes and say that we can no longer procrastinate. We can no longer delay the date. The world we are in is clear,” Michel told Euronews . interview recorded Monday.
Michel’s 2030 target faces opposition from the European Commission, which is tasked with reviewing each candidate country’s progress in meeting the criteria and implementing the economic and judicial reforms needed to become an EU member .
The executive believes that setting a fixed date is counterproductive because it assumes that all potential members are at the same stage and will therefore reach the finish line simultaneously.
“We do not understand the need for this date. This risks undermining the confidence of many stakeholders in a fair, transparent and merit-based accession process,” a Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday when asked about Michel’s proposal.
“The (EU) Treaties give the European institutions a clear role as a neutral and objective intermediary in a clear and defined process.”