From Dw · · 1m 10s
EU Proposes Reforms for New Members
EU plans reforms to speed up new member countries joining bloc by 2028.
In brief
EU plans reforms to speed up new member countries joining bloc by 2028. EU Commission proposes reforms to allow candidate countries to join faster while maintaining democratic standards and reducing risks of backsliding. Originally reported by Dw.
EU Enlargement Review
EU Commission presented pre-enlargement policy review results on Tuesday.
“gradual integration is not a substitute for full membership. it is the accelerator for enlargement”
Current Candidate Countries
Albania, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine are frontrunners to join bloc with Montenegro expected to join by 2028.
EU's Integration Strategy
Commission proposes gradual access to membership benefits for candidate countries meeting eu standards.
“gradual integration is not a substitute for full membership. it is the accelerator for enlargement”
Qualified Majority Voting
EU wants to replace unanimity with qualified majority voting for faster decision-making.
“every cluster that you open is subject to three individual decisions, and every single decision is subject to unanimity. it's mind-blowing, and i think this clearly needs to go”
Strategic Alignment
Candidate countries must align with eu foreign policy and economic security standards to join.
“trading gas with russia is simply not something that builds trust with the european union”
Democratic Safeguards
EU plans 15-year period for easier sanctions on new members to prevent democratic backsliding.
“no more viktor orban. we have to have quicker mechanisms than only article 7”
Montenegro Timeline
Montenegro could join eu as early as 2028 after current negotiations with eu.
Next Steps
European Council will discuss proposals on october 15-16 to finalize enlargement reforms.
At a glance
EU Commission proposes reforms to allow candidate countries to join faster while maintaining democratic standards and reducing risks of backsliding.
