BRUSSELS – Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia circulated a confidential document among other European Union Member States last week, proposing a “merit-based access – if necessary, step by step – to the European single market”, Euractiv reports.
According to the document, such an initiative is necessary to sustain the momentum of enlargement and help candidate countries to “counter the influence of third countries”.
The model would involve expanding the range of EU programmes that countries like Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia can take part in as they align, chapter by chapter, with EU legislation.
The paper proposes sectors that could be included, such as transport, energy and electricity markets, the digital single market, competitiveness strategies and critical raw materials policies. Safeguards in case of backsliding are also proposed.
“The paper’s authors called on Marta Kos, the Commissioner for Enlargement, to come up with new ideas along these lines”, Euractiv reports.
