Brussels – The June European Council was the starter – the meeting on 15 October will be the main course. A “strategic discussion” on EU enlargement and reforms is scheduled for the next EU leaders’ summit in October “in light of the new impetus” in the process of enlarging the Union and responding to calls for internal reform to make it ready to function with 27+ members.
This is what emerges from the European Council’s conclusions on enlargement, adopted on 19 June, which recall the 2023 Granada Declaration on the need for “both the EU and future Member States to be ready” for enlargement.
As EU officials confirmed on the eve of the summit, “there is some appetite” among an increasing number of leaders to discuss the “next steps and ideas” that could inject new dynamism into the process, building on the momentum generated in recent weeks. This is not only due to the progress made by Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova during the so-called “Mega Monday” – and by Albania with the launch of the process to close accession chapters – but also to the parallel proposals put forward by member states.
The German–French non-paper on simplifying the enlargement methodology and establishing “building blocks” for a more structured gradual integration is the proposal that has attracted the greatest interest. At the same time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz‘s letter on bringing candidate countries closer to the EU – including through an “associate membership” for Ukraine – and the “catalogue of options” for safeguards in future Accession Treaties, requested by five capitals, are also expected to feature in discussions among EU leaders.
While all these ideas have been circulating for several weeks, “there has not yet been an opportunity to discuss them among the 27,” EU diplomats explained. At the EU–Western Balkans meeting in Tivat, discussions also involved the six partners from the region, while at the European Council on 18–19 June there was “limited time for broad discussions” on EU enlargement. For this reason, the decision was taken to “reserve more time” to return to the issue in a few months, while “the calendar is moving on the overall process,” the sources added.
Not to be forgotten is that, after months of delays, the time may finally have come for the Commission to present the long-awaited communication on pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews. As EU sources familiar with the matter told The New Union Post, the proposal has evolved into something more closely linked to Ukraine’s accession and to “a new idea” of the enlargement process than to a broader reform of how an enlarged Union should function, regardless of how many or which candidates may join. For this reason, it is “still pending” – waiting “for the best moment”, which may finally have arrived.
More on the leaders’ conclusions on EU enlargement
Despite this sense of urgency, the European Council conclusions are not particularly bold. On the contrary, much like the chapter dedicated to Ukraine, the section on Moldova is less ambitious than the latest draft conclusions.
While welcoming the opening of Cluster 1 – ‘Fundamentals’ on 15 June and looking forward to the EU–Moldova Summit on 22 June in Brussels, the final text merely “looks forward to the opening of the other clusters, in line with the merit-based approach.” In the draft conclusions circulated on the eve of the summit – seen by The New Union Post – the opening of the five remaining clusters was expected to take place “as soon as possible,” still in line with the merit-based approach.
The section on the Western Balkans praises the EU–Western Balkans Summit held in Montenegro for contributing to “the new impetus in the enlargement process.” The text contains neither references to the progress made by some candidates nor warnings to those that are failing to implement reforms or are backsliding. Instead, it reiterates the commitment to “advancing the gradual integration” of the region “during the enlargement process itself in a merit-based and reversible manner.”
