MEPs to quiz Commissioner Várhelyi on the 2023 Enlargement package

For the first time, the Commission will assess the reforms carried out by two new EU candidate countries, Ukraine and Moldova, and potential candidate Georgia.

Members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs will quiz Oliver Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, on the future of the EU’s enlargement policy and the state of play in the countries covered by the Enlargement package.

Each year, the Commission adopts a set of documents that sets out the way forward and takes stock of reforms carried out in the EU candidate countries and potential candidates. Alongside Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Türkiye, for the first time, the package will also cover two new EU candidate countries, Ukraine and Moldova, as well as potential candidate Georgia.

Commissioner Várhelyi will also present the Commission’s new 6 billion euro Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. Pending the delivery of EU-related reforms, it aims to help the countries in the region to pursue their goals to integrate with the EU. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently visited all six countries covered by the Plan in order to present the details to government representatives and lawmakers.

When: Wednesday, 8 November, from 13.30 to 15.00 CET.

Where: European Parliament in Brussels, SPAAK building, room 3C050