The leaders of the 27 EU member states cautiously initiated discussions at a summit in Granada on Friday, mindful of the high hopes held by countries like war-torn Ukraine.
Leaders of the 27 EU member states cautiously opened the debate on Friday at a summit in Granada, conscious of the weight of expectation in hopefuls like war-torn Ukraine.
On the face of it, it’s a daunting challenge for the aspirants.
Ukraine is battling a Russian invasion, while trying to race through the required reforms. Moldova and Georgia are partly occupied by Russian troops holding breakaway regions.
Countries in the western Balkans, long in the waiting room, have made progress in fighting corruption and securing the rule of law, but still face skepticism in Western capitals.
Meanwhile, the EU itself faces problems coordinating its existing 27 members, with populist governments in Poland and Hungary constantly clashing with Brussels.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has focused minds, however. Even capitals once skeptical of further arrivals can see the danger of leaving European neighbors out in the cold.
Enlargement will be at the core of the EU summit on December 14 and 15 in Brussels, by which time the European Commission will have submitted reports on Ukraine and Moldova’s bids.
One of the converts to the idea of a wider union was France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed it was important that the EU take more decisions by majority vote, rather than allowing lone members a veto in key policy areas.
But he was otherwise positive.
European Council president Charles Michel caused a stir when Brussels returned to work after the summer break by calling for the EU to be ready to expand by 2030.
Naming a date upset his European Commission counterpart Ursula von der Leyen, whose officials are in charge of evaluating the candidate states’ progress in meeting membership criteria.
She and several EU leaders were quick to insist that accession should be “conditions-based”, the new members must have completed a defined series of governing reform.
Michel acknowledged some leaders were reluctant to fix a deadline, but insisted that what was important “was to end the procrastinating” in the face of Russia’s war.
But behind the formal checklist, there are huge political and economic issues that will challenge how the EU sees itself as much as the aspirant governments.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
