France and Germany have pitched a new plan to bring Western Balkans nations and Moldova closer to the EU, in a bid to inject a “new dynamism” into the bloc’s expansion.
The paper, seen by Euractiv, fleshes out ideas tabled by Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, when he suggested granting associate EU membership to Ukraine last month and said the slowness of the enlargement process was generating frustration for all countries involved.
With EU leaders set to descend on Montenegro for an enlargement summit on Friday, the Franco-German push is in part an attempt to show the Balkans that they’re not being left behind, and that they have more to offer than merely cheaper roaming.
“We must provide additional incentives as part of a merit-based, gradual integration process and streamline the current process to make it more efficient and to allow for faster and deeper integration,” the non-paper states.
The new idea is to create a set of “building blocks” for countries languishing in the EU’s waiting room, to involve Balkan governments more in specific areas of the EU as they progress on making domestic reforms. Closer involvement in the institutions and policy areas would, however, be “reversible” in case of backsliding on Brussels’ “core values and principles.”
“We invite the [European] Commission to present proposals to facilitate the gradual integration of candidate countries on their path towards EU accession,” it states.
David McAllister, the chair of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said the initiative will strengthen the credibility of the EU’s enlargement process.
“It upholds the principle of a merit- and reform-based accession process. On the other hand, it opens up the possibility of linking reform progress earlier and more visibly with gradual integration into European programmes, institutions and policy areas,” said the German MEP.
The paper includes the following “building blocks” which would depend on different levels of progress towards accession:
Western Balkans representatives will have joint meetings with commissioners and MEPs twice a year
MEPs will meet national MPs from Western Balkans and Moldova more regularly
Their leaders and ministers will join informal meetings of the Council and European Council for “specific agenda items”, and observe other items without voting rights
“Enhanced” security and defence cooperation
Involvement in EU programs such as Creative Europe, Erasmus+, more integration in Horizon, the EU’s research programme
Deeper involvement in areas of the single market, ranging from energy markets, to the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and EU policies covering industrial strategy, digital policy, and critical raw materials, and SPS agreements
Full participation in the single market could be granted akin to countries in the European Economic Area
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Source:
www.euractiv.com