PARIS – Member states have until the end of 2023 to define the kind of enlargement mechanism that would work for countries looking to access the EU while ensuring the EU stays true to itself, said for EURACTIV French Minister of State for Europe, Laurence Boone.
According to French Minister, the idea of a “differentiated” accession process is to “anchor” EU candidate countries close to bloc quickly. “The EU ought to strike a balance between its security and integrity and speeding up accession processes for candidate countries, Boone said.
She assessed that the EU ought to strike a balance between its security and integrity and speeding up accession process for candidate countries. Bonne assessed that European Political Community (EPC) is the “right forum” to discuss what kind of enlargement policy the EU wants. The second EPC summit is set to take place on 1 June in Chișinău, Moldova.
Some EU leaders, such as Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have warned that a large new wave of enlargement should only come with Treaty reform. Addressing the European Parliament on 9 May, Scholz repeated that it was a “precondition” to enlargement. He also called for a shift from unanimity to qualified majority voting in taxation and foreign policy – a view Boone shares – which was on the discussion agenda during German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s visit in Paris earlier this month.