Preparing for the EU27+X: Berlin and Paris promote EU reforms

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During a ministerial meeting in Brussels this Tuesday, government representatives presented proposals from an independent team of experts. It recommends weakening the principle of unanimity, common in some policy areas, to make it less likely that decisions will be blocked by vetoes.

In addition, the experts believe that it makes sense, for example, to tap new sources of income for the EU budget and to expand the possibility of cuts in the event of violations of EU standards. The twelve experts mention 2030 as a target date for implementing reforms. By then, the EU should be ready to accept new states.

“The enlargement of the EU is in all our interests. And that is why we must now do everything we can to ensure that we as the EU are ready for this enlargement,” said German State Secretary for Europe Anna Lührmann (Greens) in Brussels when presenting the report. The necessary internal reforms must be implemented in the next term of the European Parliament, i.e. from 2024 to 2029. The expert committee’s report will now be discussed in the current 27 EU Member States and in the accession countries.

To prepare the EU for accepting new members, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new analysis project last week. The aim is to explore how individual EU policy areas may need to be adapted to a larger Union. In view of Ukraine’s possible accession, agricultural policy is particularly crucial as the war-torn country is relatively large and is likely to receive subsidies in the near future.

The EU recently held accession negotiations with the Balkan states of Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia. In addition to Ukraine, Kosovo, Moldova, Georgia and Turkey are also candidate member states. Accession negotiations with Turkey have been going on for a long time, but they have been at a standstill for years due to constitutional shortcomings.

(SDA)

Source: Blick