Five EU countries demand safety measures for the future members of the Union. What are the options
The European Union should consider temporarily limiting certain voting rights of future bloc members and establishing more rule of law guarantees, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg wrote in a joint document seen by Reuters.
With Montenegro hoping to join the EU in 2028 and Albania, Ukraine and Moldova pushing to make progress in their accession bids, European governments are discussing whether to change the rules applicable to new members.
Some capitals are now pushing for the EU to draw up stronger guarantees for future members, in part because of the bloc's experience with Hungary's democratic backsliding under former prime minister Viktor Orban.
The document outlined possible options that could be included in future accession treaties, including a new monitoring mechanism and a safeguard clause that would allow action to be taken in the event of a serious setback in areas such as democracy and press freedom.
“The EU should hold an in-depth discussion on the possibility of temporary, transitional limitations on voting rights for new member states, particularly in relation to certain parts of the EU acquis where unanimity is required,” the five countries wrote, pointing to EU enlargement, foreign policy and budget decisions, where the consent of all member states is currently required.
Cyprus, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, announced last week that it had begun preparations to officially open negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on the first set of negotiating chapters, which cover the rule of law and democratic standards.
“Ukraine has its place in the EU. All six accession negotiation groups should be opened without delay. NATO must remain on the negotiating table as the strongest security guarantee,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on Tuesday after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Tallinn.
