European Commission Plans Stricter Rules for EU Membership Candidates
The European Commission is proposing new conditions for countries seeking to join the EU, including tougher safeguards after accession. Current members would see few changes.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the European Union must be ready to take in new members. In her view, that means preparing the institutions, adapting policies to the new reality and making sure the budget reflects the bloc's shared ambitions.
Growing number of candidates
Eight countries currently hold EU candidate status. Among them, frontrunner Montenegro hopes to join the bloc within the next few years. As more countries seek to join, member states have spent years debating how to keep the EU's often slow decision-making from becoming even more cumbersome, and how to manage its large budget after further enlargement.
What the Commission proposes
Under the plans presented on Tuesday, little would change for existing member states. Candidates and future members, however, would have to meet additional requirements, though new opportunities would also open up for them.
During accession talks, candidates would need to demonstrate more convincingly that they meet EU standards in key areas. These include the rule of law, border protection, agriculture and food safety controls, and the single market.
At the same time, candidate countries could take part in some EU programmes before becoming full members, according to the Commission's proposals.
Safeguards after accession
The Commission intends to write additional, stricter safeguards into accession treaties with new members. They would apply if a country were to depart from EU values and standards during the first 15 years after joining.
