The European Commission is consulting with member states on improving the policy for the accession of new countries to the EU.
This was announced by European Commission spokesperson Guillaume Mercier in a comment to Suspilne.
“Accession to the EU is a merit-based process, and in this context, we are currently holding discussions with member states, exploring ways to enhance our enlargement policy to maximally utilize the tools we already possess,” the spokesperson stated.
According to him, the issue has already been raised by France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia. A detailed discussion is expected in October at the level of EU leaders.
Earlier, Politico reported that the European Commission is preparing a plan for the gradual integration of candidate countries, which will allow them to receive specific benefits even before full accession – namely, access to part of the funding programs, more favorable trade conditions, and partial access to the single market.
Guillaume Mercier confirmed that the model of gradual integration is being considered.
“Gradual integration brings tangible benefits even before accession and incentivizes future countries to carry out reforms. At the same time, it does not replace EU membership. We are working towards achieving membership itself,” said the spokesperson.
Source: suspilne.media