The European Commission is preparing new proposals regarding the accession of certain countries to the EU
Ursula von der Leyen and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo: Twitter / vonderleyen)
The European Commission is working on plans to establish a clearer, step-by-step path to EU accession for the four candidate countries that have made the most progress in the negotiation process. These countries are Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro, and Albania. According to ,, Politico reports this, citing two high-ranking European Commission officials:.
A separate “road map” is planned for each of the four countries. It is intended to outline specific reform requirements, expected outcomes, and tentative timelines for key stages of the negotiations.
The European Commission believes that this approach should make the accession process more predictable. Candidate countries will receive a clearer explanation of what reforms are expected of them and what results they must achieve.
At the same time, the roadmaps will include certain obligations for EU member states as well, since the candidates’ further progress will require their approval.
The documents are expected to set out tentative deadlines for the completion of negotiations on specific reform groups—negotiation clusters—.
A European Commission spokesperson confirmed to the publication that the new roadmaps are intended to “pave the way for the conclusion of accession negotiations.” According to him, the documents will include a list of priorities, timelines, and expected outcomes of the reforms.
The new approach will not yet apply to countries that are at earlier stages of European integration. These include Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Georgia, Turkey, and Serbia also remain outside this process. Their negotiations or applications are largely stalled due to concerns regarding the state of democracy and the rule of law.
In Brussels, increasing attention is being paid to the expansion of the European Union amid intensifying global competition, Russia’s actions, and tensions in relations with partners such as the United States and China.
At the same time, the EU is considering a broader reform of its enlargement policy. The goal is to create a mechanism for the gradual integration of candidate countries even before they achieve full membership. Specifically, this involves granting access to economic benefits and joint projects as an incentive for implementing reforms.
The policy review, prepared with the participation of Alexander Adam, an advisor to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is scheduled to be presented to senior officials on October 6.
This is a machine translation of the original article in Ukrainian. It may contain errors.