Today at 12:11
In a week, on November 8, the European Commission will release a report on the progress of candidate countries on their path to EU membership. According to Politico, Brussels will recommend starting membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, albeit with some “technical” limitations on certain aspects where these countries need to make more progress. This includes strengthening an independent judicial system, protecting minority rights, and implementing anti-corruption measures.
“These will not be minor but significant reservations. It’s not the first time Brussels has concealed serious political consequences behind technical details,” said an unnamed French official.
Currently, some EU countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Portugal, insist on the need for reforms within the EU itself. Their main concern is that without a clear plan for EU expansion, the bloc could grow to 30 or more members, which could threaten the effective functioning of the bloc.
“We need to start discussing what model we want for an expanded European Union in the future. How it will look with a larger number of member countries, and more importantly, with significantly more diverse member countries,” said Portugal’s Secretary of State for EU Affairs Tiago Antunes.
Work is currently underway to formulate common proposals for reforms, and this information has been confirmed by official representatives of four countries. On Thursday, November 2, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will meet with her EU colleagues and representatives from countries seeking to join the bloc, including Ukraine, to discuss such proposals. The warning from Germany confirms that EU diplomats have been discussing this issue behind closed doors for several months. However, it also highlights differences in views among European officials, as the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, expressed the opinion that the EU should admit Ukraine by 2030.
It’s worth noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed an important law necessary for Ukraine’s progress towards the European Union. This law focuses on financial monitoring of politically exposed persons (PEP) and is considered one of the most critical steps in Ukraine’s path to European integration.
