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Shkruar nga Hans von der Burchard & Nicholas Vinocur
The idea is seen as unblocking the process, because countries like Ukraine could be allowed to join before the EU revises the way it operates...
New countries could join the European Union without full voting rights, a move that could make leaders such as Hungary's Viktor Orbán more willing to accept countries like Ukraine to become part of the bloc.
The proposal to change the EU's membership rules is at an early stage and would need to be approved by all existing countries, according to three European diplomats and an EU official with knowledge of the discussions. The idea is that new members would gain full rights after the EU has overhauled the way it operates to make it harder for individual countries to veto policies.
It is the latest attempt by pro-EU enlargement governments, such as Austria and Sweden, to breathe life into an enlargement process that is currently being blocked by Budapest and several other capitals for fear that it could bring unwanted competition to local markets or compromise security interests.
The EU has made enlargement a strategic priority amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's expansionist agenda, although the push to increase the number of members from the current 27 to 30 over the next decade is exposing the bloc's internal divisions.
"Future members should be asked to give up their veto right until key institutional reforms are implemented, such as the introduction of qualified majority voting in most policy areas," said Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the German Bundestag's European Affairs Committee.
"Enlargement must not be slowed down by EU member states blocking reforms"
The initiative would allow countries currently on the path to membership, such as Ukraine, Moldova and Montenegro, to enjoy many of the benefits of EU membership, but without veto rights, something EU governments have always valued as the ultimate means of preventing EU policies they dislike.
The idea behind the proposal, which is being discussed informally between EU countries and the Commission, according to the same diplomats and officials, is that including new countries without veto rights, at least at the beginning of their membership, would allow them to join on more flexible terms without requiring a revision of the EU's fundamental treaties, which are seen by some governments as unsuccessful.
Previously, EU leaders had insisted that such a review was necessary before the bloc could admit new members such as Ukraine, highlighting the risk of increasing gridlock in Brussels. However, efforts to remove the veto right for existing EU members have faced strong opposition, not only from Hungary but also from France and the Netherlands.
Growing frustration
The plan for new members to join without full voting rights would “ensure that we remain able to operate even in an enlarged EU,” Hofreiter said. According to him, “from discussions with representatives of the Western Balkan states, I am getting clear signals that this approach is considered constructive and workable.”
The demand that new countries not be allowed to join until the EU reforms the way it operates risks the bloc being able to "block enlargement through the back door", he said.
The push coincides with growing frustration in candidate countries in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, which have undertaken extensive domestic reforms but are no closer to membership years after applying. In Montenegro's case, EU accession negotiations began in 2012.
"The last country to join the EU was Croatia more than 10 years ago, while the United Kingdom left," Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović told Politico.
In an interview, he emphasized that "I believe that now is the time to revive the process, to revive a little bit the idea of the EU as a club that still has a gravitas towards it."
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka echoed these concerns, calling for "creative" solutions to unblock EU enlargement. Kiev's efforts to join the EU are currently being hampered by a veto from Hungary.
“Waiting is not an option,” Kachka said in an interview, emphasizing “what we need is to have a solution here and now. This is important for Ukraine, but also for the European Union… I think that, while Russia tests European security with drones, the same thing is done by undermining the unity of the European Union.”
While European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has placed enlargement at the center of her strategic agenda, citing the possible membership of Ukraine and Moldova by 2030, EU countries have so far resisted efforts to speed up the process.
Earlier this month, EU countries rejected an attempt by European Council President António Costa, first reported by Politico, to move forward with enlargement.
Leaders from the Western Balkan countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia - will meet with European leaders on Wednesday in London for a "Berlin Process" summit focused on fostering integration among these nations as a precursor to EU enlargement.
Ahead of an upcoming Commission assessment of the state of play of enlargement negotiations with the various candidate countries, the so-called enlargement package, one EU diplomat suggested that the Commission could also seek to speed up the enlargement process by moving forward with negotiations without seeking formal approval from all 27 EU countries in every case. This would also avoid giving Orbán a veto at any stage of the negotiations.
The main point is that, as part of the enlargement package, the Commission is also expected to present a proposal for internal EU reforms, to prepare the bloc for the admission of new members.
Expansionist Russia
Separately, an early draft of conclusions for a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels contains no mention of enlargement, which has angered pro-enlargement countries.
Membership in the European Union is often touted as the bloc's main geopolitical tool against an aggressive Russia.
“When we look at enlargement today, one thing is clear: we need to become faster, less bureaucratic and more efficient,” Claudia Plakolm, Austria’s minister for Europe, told Politico. “If the EU doesn’t step up its game, we will lose ground to third-party actors who are already waiting to take our place.”
Future EU membership was a key issue in the recent elections in Moldova, won by pro-EU president Maia Sandu, while EU membership has been a key motivation for Ukraine since the 2014 Maidan protests against Russian rule.
“Ukrainians have fought every day for the last three and a half years to keep Russia out of Europe,” said Marta Kos, the EU’s enlargement commissioner, in her comments to Politico.
According to her, "in Moldova it was the credibility of the EU perspective that was decisive. I am convinced that member states will not jeopardize this."
Despite pressure from Brussels, EU leaders facing growing support for far-right parties at home appear in no hurry to begin expanding the bloc to 30 members and beyond.
At a press conference in July, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he did not expect Ukraine to join the EU within the timeframe of its next seven-year budget, which runs until 2034.
Ukraine's membership "would probably not have any immediate impact on the European Union's medium-term financial perspective," Merz said at the time. /Adapted from Politico/
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