Michel says EU must be ready to admit new members by 2030
European Council President Charles Michel said the EU and candidate countries must implement reforms so new members can join by the end of the decade. EU Leaders will discuss the issue at an upcoming summit.
The European Union should make a "bold move" and accept new members by 2030, European Council President Charles Michel said on Monday.
He made the remarks at the international strategic forum at the Slovenian lakeside resort of Bled, a meeting attended by Western Balkan leaders.
"I believe we must be ready, on both sides, by 2030 to enlarge," Michel said. "This is ambitious, but necessary. It shows that we are serious," adding a timeline would grant the bloc more credibility.
"Not reforming on our side before the next enlargement would be a fundamental mistake," Michel said. "It only makes sense for new member states to join a Union that's functioning well, that's efficient," he stated.
According to Michel, the bloc's leaders would discuss "the EU's capacity to absorb new members," at an upcoming summit in Granada, Spain, in October. Going through the accession process and eventually joining the bloc requires unanimous decisions by all current members.
War in Ukraine shapes future of Europe
The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine has focused minds in Brussels on the need for new political momentum to support the ambition of several membership candidates.
Michel said that the war in Ukraine "has shown that peace and democracy cannot be taken for granted." "This war is not just devastating Ukraine: this war has a profound impact on the future of our continent. It has a profound impact on global security," he said.
EU officials fear that Russia could seek to destabilize the Balkans, which experienced a bloody war in the 1990s, and thus divert world attention from its aggression in Ukraine.
Russia's Balkan ally Serbia has refused to join EU sanctions against Moscow, although Belgrade says it respects Ukrainian territorial integrity.
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