EU enlargement and reform: MEPs call for bold decisions

Make decision-making more effective by moving away from unanimity, through existing and future Treaty mechanisms

More effective EU budget to enable the EU to take on new commitments

Candidate countries should be gradually integrated during the negotiation process into the single market

Set roadmaps and intermediate timelines for each accession country

The EU needs a long-term political vision and institutional and financial reforms to ensure its capacity to absorb new members, MEPs say in a report adopted on Thursday.

In a report adopted on Thursday by 305 votes for, 157 against and 71 abstentions, MEPs stress that the processes for preparing for enlargement should take place in parallel in both the EU and accession countries.

Institutional reforms

MEPs call for stronger protection of the rule of law and the EU’s democratic values against backsliding in both existing and future member states, ensuring that enlargement strengthens the Union.

Regarding European institutional reforms, MEPs say the EU should be reformed to act more effectively, including in its decision-making procedures, and move away from unanimity. MEPs stress that the use of flexibility mechanisms, such as passerelle clauses, ahead of a more in-depth reform in the context of a possible revision of the EU treaties, should not prevent constructive discussions on treaty revision. The calculation of qualified majority voting thresholds should also be reconsidered to improve the balance between larger and smaller states and to set higher thresholds for the most important decisions.

Pre-enlargement reforms must also address the implications of enlargement for the composition of Parliament according to MEPs.

A multi-tier approach

The EU should set concrete individual reform targets, roadmaps and intermediate timelines for each accession country, with no fast-track or fixed pre-defined deadlines for membership, according to MEPs.

Countries who make substantial progress on EU-related reforms should be able to gradually integrate into EU common policies, such as the single market. They state that differentiated integration is part of the solution for an efficient and deepened enlarged EU, but cannot lead to any weakening of its values.

Enlargement is both a major financial challenge for the EU, in particular regarding cohesion and agriculture policies, and an opportunity for the reform of these policies, say MEPs, adding that a properly funded Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and a more effective EU budget are needed.

Quotes

The co-rapporteur Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS (Renew, LT ) said: “EU enlargement is an historic opportunity to achieve a unified, secure and peaceful Europe. It is a high time to advance EU accession negotiations with candidate countries. We are recommending a common approach whereby enlargement and EU institutional and decision-making reforms must go hand in hand and to strengthen the EU and deliver on the promise made to candidate countries.”

The co-rapporteur Pedro SILVA PEREIRA (S&D, PT) said: “The political message of the European Parliament in this report is clear: for enlargement to be possible, besides important reforms in the candidate countries, we need institutional and financial reforms at European level, otherwise the EU will not be ready to absorb new members. An enlarged EU, with 35 or more Member States, cannot function with the current rules designed for 27. If we want to be serious about enlargement, we have to acknowledge that European reforms are needed and that creative solutions, as differentiated integration must be part of the EU’s institutional architecture”.