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EU Considers Changes to Modernize Enlargement Process
(MENAFN) The European Commission is considering changes to the European Union’s enlargement system as officials explore ways to prepare the bloc for future expansion while protecting its existing members.
EU enlargement chief Marta Kos presents four areas for discussion, including safeguards for current member states, institutional reforms, stronger rule-of-law protections and a gradual approach to integrating prospective members.
“The world has changed. And enlargement must change with it,” Kos told an ambassadors’ conference in Croatia, describing the proposals as an effort to “make enlargement a successful instrument of European power.”
Under the first proposal, the EU would consider measures designed to protect the interests of current members from potential economic, political or security challenges associated with bringing additional countries into the bloc.
Kos says the second area concerns internal changes that could help a larger EU continue operating effectively while responding more quickly to crises.
“Second, we need to discuss the internal reforms needed for a larger Union to remain capable of acting, and to be agile to adjust rapidly in light of crises,” she said.
She points out that existing EU treaties already offer opportunities to improve decision-making and make the bloc’s institutions function more efficiently. Member states, she argues, should make greater use of those provisions to create a system that is “leaner and more flexible.”
“This could also mean reducing the number of areas where a single member state can block everyone else. It could also mean making our institutions smaller,” she proposed.
The proposed changes reflect growing discussions within the EU about how to balance further enlargement with effective governance, faster decision-making and stronger protections for the bloc’s existing members.
EU enlargement chief Marta Kos presents four areas for discussion, including safeguards for current member states, institutional reforms, stronger rule-of-law protections and a gradual approach to integrating prospective members.
“The world has changed. And enlargement must change with it,” Kos told an ambassadors’ conference in Croatia, describing the proposals as an effort to “make enlargement a successful instrument of European power.”
Under the first proposal, the EU would consider measures designed to protect the interests of current members from potential economic, political or security challenges associated with bringing additional countries into the bloc.
Kos says the second area concerns internal changes that could help a larger EU continue operating effectively while responding more quickly to crises.
“Second, we need to discuss the internal reforms needed for a larger Union to remain capable of acting, and to be agile to adjust rapidly in light of crises,” she said.
She points out that existing EU treaties already offer opportunities to improve decision-making and make the bloc’s institutions function more efficiently. Member states, she argues, should make greater use of those provisions to create a system that is “leaner and more flexible.”
“This could also mean reducing the number of areas where a single member state can block everyone else. It could also mean making our institutions smaller,” she proposed.
The proposed changes reflect growing discussions within the EU about how to balance further enlargement with effective governance, faster decision-making and stronger protections for the bloc’s existing members.
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