The European Union must undergo a series of reforms before expanding into over 30 member countries, as stated in a French-German report. The report, commissioned by the governments of these two leading EU countries and prepared by 12 independent experts, does not represent the official positions of these states but is expected to guide discussions on necessary reforms within the EU.
The report highlights two essential recommendations: that decisions on opening or closing negotiation chapters during the accession process should be made by a qualified majority vote in the Council instead of requiring unanimity, and that the EU and candidate countries should prepare for expansion by 2030.
Regarding the first recommendation, the report suggests that adopting a qualified majority vote for these decisions will expedite the process. However, the final decision on admitting a new member state will still require unanimous approval from existing member countries.
The second recommendation emphasizes that both the EU and candidate countries should be prepared for expansion by 2030. This proposal aims to encourage candidate countries to work toward meeting the necessary criteria for EU membership.
Additionally, the report proposes that expansion rounds should be organized into groups of countries. To facilitate this, the EU should establish nine guiding principles for future expansion strategies, categorized into two points.
The first point focuses on “qualification for EU membership” and includes criteria related to candidate countries’ preparation. The second point, “the dynamics of the accession process”, concerns the preparation of EU institutions.
Regarding qualification for membership, the report outlines five key criteria: addressing fundamental issues first, considering geopolitical aspects, resolving conflicts, providing additional technical and financial support, and ensuring democratic legitimacy. These criteria align with the expectation that countries seeking EU membership should resolve conflicts with neighboring states to avoid potential bilateral issues within the EU.
In terms of accession dynamics, the report suggests four key criteria: equality, systematization, reversibility (the possibility of reverting changes), and qualified majority voting.
The report also proposes changes to certain EU principles, such as unanimity voting and the requirement for each country to have a representative on the European Commission. It suggests that in an expanded EU, the European Commission should have fewer members than the total number of member countries. Alternatively, two types of commissioners could be appointed: a “lead commissioner” with voting rights and regular commissioners without voting rights.
These proposed changes would affect the approval of the EU’s common budget, allowing the EU to finance its budget using its resources rather than relying solely on contributions from member states.
Furthermore, the report recommends that the multi-annual financial framework be approved every five years, aligning with the terms of the European Parliament and the European Commission, instead of the current seven-year intervals.
One of the more contentious proposals is the concept of “four speeds” for European integrations. It suggests that countries wishing to deepen integration can do so without waiting for unanimous agreement from all EU members.
According to the proposal, an “inner circle” of countries would deepen integration among themselves, followed by the entire EU, including all member states. The third level of integration would involve “associated countries”, while the fourth level would be the European Political Community (EPC), which includes all European countries interested in shared common interests.
Calls for EU reforms as a condition for further expansion have gained momentum in recent months. However, discussions on these reforms will likely be robust, as different member states have varying perspectives on the necessity and extent of changes needed to accommodate future expansions.
