EU must enlarge for the sake of European security and stability

TALLINN - In a changing geopolitical world, EU enlargement is a strategic imperative and a necessary investment in the bloc's security and stability, the European Parliament stressed in a newly adopted report.

According to the Parliament, closing the door to aspiring members would be significantly more costly for the EU than admitting new ones. This is because it would create geopolitically unstable 'gray zones' around Europe, where it would be easy for adversaries of the EU to expand their influence.

Montenegro and Albania have already stated their aim to conclude accession negotiations by the end of 2026 and 2027, respectively. The Parliament believes that if these countries implement the necessary tangible reforms, the EU should acknowledge and support their ambitions.

The Council should also recognize the efforts of aspiring members and remove obstacles on the EU's side. Furthermore, Parliament calls for the swift opening of negotiation clusters in accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova.

Parliament is nevertheless convinced that accession must remain a merit-based and reversible process, and no shortcuts can be made when it comes to upholding EU values and fundamental principles.

Countries wishing to join the EU must demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law, democratic reforms, media freedom, minority rights, judicial independence, and the fight against corruption, as well as support for civil society.

The Parliament considers a candidate country's foreign and security policy, which should align with the EU's common position, to be the best indicator of its geostrategic orientation. The less candidate countries align with the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, the more they exhibit a significant and worrying democratic backsliding, in some cases leading to a complete halt in the accession process.

The report also highlights Iceland's growing interest in joining the European Union and Greenland's welcome efforts to strengthen ties with the EU.

Parliament calls for closer monitoring of reforms in the 'fundamentals' cluster in candidate countries. Additionally, stronger support should be given to pro-EU civil society organizations committed to necessary reforms and European values.

Aspiring EU members should be guaranteed sufficient pre-accession financial assistance from the next multiannual financial framework. The report also calls for closer cooperation on infrastructure, security, and resilience, as well as a joint effort to combat foreign information manipulation.

The report was adopted in plenary with 385 votes in favor, 147 against, and 98 abstentions.

Rapporteur Petras Auštrevičius (Renew, Lithuania) said that the European Union's political influence and economic weight have grown significantly with each new member state, helping to ensure the prosperity and security of Europeans.

"However, EU enlargement needs to be rethought in the context of today's world, the Union's interests, and the expectations of candidate countries," he noted. "The integration of new members must go hand-in-hand with internal reforms to ensure the EU's continued capacity to act. This includes improving decision-making processes, with more decisions taken by qualified majority voting instead of unanimity. The EU must carry out these reforms before the first candidate countries are ready to join."