site.btaUPDATED EU Enlargement Could Soon Make Big Progress, European Commissioner Kos Says

During a hearing at the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs here on Tuesday, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that the enlargement process could soon make progress unseen in the last decade. In the next five years, one to three more countries can be expected to join the European Union, and Montenegro and Albania are the most ahead, with the hope of concluding the accession negotiations in the next two to three years, she added.

The war in Ukraine has created opportunities for EU enlargement, Kos went on to say. There will not be a geopolitical discount: every candidate country will be assessed based on the progress made, she specified. The Commissioner expects negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova to start and additional progress with the Western Balkan countries to be achieved by mid-2025. She noted Moldova's positive efforts, and called for the country not to be abandoned by the EU.

In her words, the events in Georgia show that there can be retreat from the path to the EU. Kos described as absolutely unacceptable the authorities' actions against the Georgian citizens who objected to Tbilisi stopping the negotiations with the EU.

In response to MEPs' questions, the Commissioner noted that Serbia needs to complete several steps before making further progress, and the same applies to North Macedonia. Kos expressed the expectation that Skopje would deliver on the promise of constitutional changes. "With Bulgaria's support, we can then move forward," the Commissioner added. Kos said she will strive bilateral issues to not affect the negotiation process but made clear that this is inevitable in the future.

EU enlargement is related to the adoption of 150 unanimous decisions in the Council of the European Union. It is also a public project in which every citizen should participate, and not just the government and parliament; the opposition's support is necessary, too, the Commissioner argued. In her words, culture and sport should be included in the efforts for faster rapprochement, which is why a sports event between teams from Member States and candidate countries is in the works.

Ever more often, size and power are used for blackmail, and military solutions seem to be preferred over military resolution of conflicts, Kos noted. Many want to see Europe fail in such a world, and many efforts and resources are invested to that end, she added.