European Commission drafts new rules for EU enlargement

The European Commission has prepared a package of changes outlining a new approach to EU enlargement. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos presented the plans in Strasbourg on Tuesday, October 6.

The proposal has two main strands. First, candidate countries that successfully carry out certain reforms would receive broader benefits, including access to specific EU programs and funds, even before becoming full members. Second, new safeguard mechanisms would be introduced allowing restrictions on the rights of countries that, after joining the EU, stall reforms or step back from their commitments.

Changes to decision-making

Kos said preliminary assessments of how new member states could affect the EU showed the bloc is already prepared for enlargement overall, though some areas will require adjustments. To make the Union more flexible and effective, the Commission proposes applying transitional provisions in EU treaties and replacing unanimity with qualified majority voting.

Such a shift would reduce the number of issues a single country could block through veto power. This applies, for example, to intermediate decisions in the accession negotiation process, such as opening negotiating clusters, which currently require unanimous approval.

Expanding gradual integration

The gradual integration approach — where a candidate country gains access to certain EU programs in exchange for successful reforms — is not new to enlargement methodology. Several countries, including Ukraine, already benefit from such arrangements.

However, according to Kos, the document proposed by the Commission envisions a more ambitious involvement of candidate countries in specific areas of EU activity, including energy, transport, artificial intelligence, and security and defense. The commissioner stressed that gradual integration is not a substitute for full membership but rather a tool to accelerate the enlargement process.