“When we talk about trojan horses We are not referring to the past, but we are looking to the future,” explained the Commissioner for Enlargement, the Slovenian Marta Kos, which assures that it is about alleviating citizens’ “concerns” about EU enlargement.
“About the trial period, we still have to seriously discuss whether these are transitional stages in different areas or involve other steps. The main objective is that when we accept the entry of new Member States into the EU, That makes us stronger and not weaker.“, in señalad Ks.
In its annual report on enlargement policy published this Tuesday, the Commission Ursula von der Leyen points out that “future Accession Treaties must include Stronger guarantees against any setbacks in the commitments assumed during the accession negotiations, as well as requirements for the new Member States to make their progress in terms of Member States irreversible”.
In an interview with the FTKos herself explains that Brussels is working on more effective mechanisms to suspend rights or benefits to new member states if they violate the fundamental values of the EU. In case of repeated breaches, a country could even be expelled from the clubhe states.
In her press conference this Tuesday, the Enlargement Commissioner did not want to go into so many details. Its only red line would be that this mechanism leads in practice to a division between first- and second-class Member States. “When we accept countries, everyone must have the same rights“, he indicated.
For her part, the High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Estonian Kaja Kallahas assured that “the entry of new countries into the EU by 2030 is a realistic goal“.
On hold for more than a decade, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has revived the EU’s enlargement policy. Brussels now considers that the entry of new members into the club is a geopolitical imperative and a necessity to strengthen Europe on the international stage.
However, Member States continue to consider no enthusiasm the possibility of accepting new members into the club and claim that it is first necessary to reform the operating rules, although at the moment no specific proposal has been made.
Notes for candidates
In its evaluation of the progress of all candidate countries in the last year, the Community Executive gives good marks to Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova. Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Türkiye need to improve, while Georgia achieves an absolute failure.
1.- MONTENEGRO He is the top student in the class after having closed 4 of the 35 negotiation chapters during the last year. Brussels sees Pogdorica’s goal of concluding accession talks by the end of 2026 as realistic, as long as it maintains the pace of reforms and seeks broad political consensus.
2.- ALBANIA It follows closely with “significant progress” in justice reform and in the fight against organized crime and corruption. Achieving Tirana’s goal of concluding negotiations by 2027 will depend on maintaining reform momentum and fostering inclusive political dialogue.
3.- MOLDAVIA It is the country that has made the most progress on its accession path over the last year despite continuous hybrid threats and attempts to destabilize the country and its European direction. However, the EU has not yet opened any of the negotiating blocs because its fate is linked to that of Ukraine, which suffers from Hungary’s veto.
4.- UKRAINE moves steadily towards the EU despite the war in Russia, with key reforms that prepare the recovery and encourage private investment. “It will be essential to maintain this momentum and avoid any risk of recoilespecially in the fight against corruption,” said Kos.
5.- SERBIA It must distance itself from Russia, unblock judicial reform and urgently reverse the setbacks in freedom of expression and academic freedom. Although the authorities continue to declare EU membership as their strategic objective, the actual pace of implementation of reforms has slowed down significantly.
6.- NORTH MACEDONIA has not taken decisive steps to advance the accession negotiation process over the last year. The absolute priorities are to resolve its dispute with Bulgaria over minorities, safeguard judicial independence and integrity, and strengthen the fight against corruption.
7.- BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA has suffered political tensions in the last year with the end of the ruling coalition and a stagnation in reforms. Following recent changes in the Republika Srpska, Brussels sees an opportunity to advance its path towards the EU, starting with the adoption of judicial reform and the appointment of a chief negotiator.
8.- KOSOVO remained committed to its European path, but progress was slowed by internal politics, especially the elections and the prolonged political stalemate that followed.
9.- Türkiye “is a candidate country and a key partner that shares the same strategic interests in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as the Black Sea region.” But the accession negotiations have been paralyzed since 2018 and Brussels warns of the “continuous degradation” of democratic standards.
10.- GEORGIA It is considered a candidate country only formally, since the EU accession process was halted last year. Since then, the situation has deteriorated dramatically, with serious democratic backsliding marked by a rapid erosion of the rule of law and serious restrictions on fundamental rights.