BRUSSELS – The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has created an opportunity for the European Union’s enlargement, but the process will remain strictly merit-based, according to Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who addressed this issue on Tuesday.
In her discussions with members of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, the newly appointed Slovenian commissioner highlighted that while Russia’s war has revitalized interest in EU expansion, it does not mean that accession criteria will be relaxed.
“There will be no geopolitical discounts; the enlargement process will maintain its merit-based framework,” Kos stated.
She expressed optimism that within the next six months, as Poland takes over the presidency of the EU Council, both Ukraine and Moldova could advance by opening one or two negotiation clusters. Additionally, she anticipated that Western Balkan nations would make significant progress by opening multiple clusters and closing several chapters.
“If the candidate countries continue their reform initiatives, we could witness more advancement during the Polish presidency than we have seen in the last decade. It is entirely feasible to conduct up to 10 intergovernmental accession conferences,” Kos remarked.
She further noted that there are credible chances for one, two, or even three candidate countries to reach the final stages of the accession process during the current Commission’s term. (January 14, 2025)
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