EU enlargement push lifts Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro
The EU moved Albania, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine ahead in accession talks on Tuesday. The push reflects Europe's security shift after Russia's war and a renewed appetite for enlargement.
Four countries seeking to join the European Union took important steps forward on Tuesday in one of the bloc's biggest enlargement moves in more than 20 years. Intergovernmental conferences in Brussels ceremonially opened or closed negotiating tracks for Albania, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine, although it could still be years before any of them join the 27-nation bloc.
Calling it a major moment, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said, "We have not seen this in more than two decades. The last time, it was in 2002. This is a Super Tuesday for EU enlargement and Ukraine is part of it." While holding four such meetings in a single day is rare, 10 countries, most of them from central Europe, joined the EU in 2004. Croatia, the last country to join the bloc, did so in 2013.
Tuesday's move reflects major political and geostrategic changes in Europe. In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron had insisted he would block any attempt at enlargement until the EU itself had undergone deep reforms. But Europe's biggest land war in decades and its fallout have changed that approach.
The EU has tried to encourage reform in candidate countries amid concerns over the growing influence of Russia and China. Ukraine applied for EU membership in 2022, four days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Moldova too has faced heavy Russian pressure.
Ukraine sees EU membership as one "security guarantee" for a stable future after the war ends. Its strongest guarantee would be NATO membership, but the Trump administration has insisted that cannot happen, and other NATO members are wary of Ukraine joining while the fighting continues. European countries see the war as an existential threat and fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin could target them in the coming years, especially if he prevails in Ukraine.
Kos said, "The case for Ukraine's EU membership is very strong." She added, "The future security architecture of our continent is unimaginable without Ukraine. Ukrainians have turned their country into a military powerhouse with capabilities few other nations can match, especially with its rapidly evolving drone technologies."
The prospect of EU membership has long been seen as a strong driver of pro-democratic reform. Joining the bloc has also boosted trade and created jobs, especially in the Balkans, where wars in the 1990s broke up the former Yugoslavia. Most countries hoping to join the EU are Balkan states.
Countries seeking membership must complete negotiations in 35 policy areas, known as chapters, covering subjects from agriculture and taxation to energy and trade. The process can take years. Last month, Ukraine and Moldova opened negotiations on a cluster of five chapters linked to the values and principles on which the EU was founded, including the rule of law, respect for fundamental rights and the functioning of democratic institutions.
On Tuesday, Ukraine and Moldova each opened a second cluster focused on foreign relations, security and defence policies, as well as trade policy, development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Albania's meeting was aimed at provisionally closing negotiating tracks on science and research, education and culture, and external relations. Montenegro, which hopes to join in 2028, was doing the same with competition policy and customs rules.
An important reason for the EU's quicker movement is the change of government in Hungary. Ukraine's accession process had long been held up by Hungary's former prime minister Viktor Orbn, a strident nationalist widely seen as Russia's strongest ally in Europe and a possible threat to the EU project. Because the bids of Ukraine and Moldova were linked, neither could move ahead.
Orbn, a friend of US President Donald Trump, was voted out in April after 16 years in power. He had often used EU voting rules that require all 27 member states to agree on certain rules, sanctions and even political statements. Unanimous approval is needed for each negotiating chapter to be opened and again for it to be closed.
Nine countries are officially candidates to join the EU: Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey. Accession talks with Georgia and Turkey are on hold over concerns about democratic standards. Kosovo has also applied to join, but has not been granted candidate status. Overall, Tuesday's meetings marked an important advance for four candidates as the EU pushes ahead with enlargement after years of delay.
With PTI Inputs
Four countries seeking to join the European Union took important steps forward on Tuesday in one of the bloc's biggest enlargement moves in more than 20 years. Intergovernmental conferences in Brussels ceremonially opened or closed negotiating tracks for Albania, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine, although it could still be years before any of them join the 27-nation bloc.
Calling it a major moment, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said, "We have not seen this in more than two decades. The last time, it was in 2002. This is a Super Tuesday for EU enlargement and Ukraine is part of it." While holding four such meetings in a single day is rare, 10 countries, most of them from central Europe, joined the EU in 2004. Croatia, the last country to join the bloc, did so in 2013.
Tuesday's move reflects major political and geostrategic changes in Europe. In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron had insisted he would block any attempt at enlargement until the EU itself had undergone deep reforms. But Europe's biggest land war in decades and its fallout have changed that approach.
The EU has tried to encourage reform in candidate countries amid concerns over the growing influence of Russia and China. Ukraine applied for EU membership in 2022, four days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Moldova too has faced heavy Russian pressure.
Ukraine sees EU membership as one "security guarantee" for a stable future after the war ends. Its strongest guarantee would be NATO membership, but the Trump administration has insisted that cannot happen, and other NATO members are wary of Ukraine joining while the fighting continues. European countries see the war as an existential threat and fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin could target them in the coming years, especially if he prevails in Ukraine.
Kos said, "The case for Ukraine's EU membership is very strong." She added, "The future security architecture of our continent is unimaginable without Ukraine. Ukrainians have turned their country into a military powerhouse with capabilities few other nations can match, especially with its rapidly evolving drone technologies."
The prospect of EU membership has long been seen as a strong driver of pro-democratic reform. Joining the bloc has also boosted trade and created jobs, especially in the Balkans, where wars in the 1990s broke up the former Yugoslavia. Most countries hoping to join the EU are Balkan states.
Countries seeking membership must complete negotiations in 35 policy areas, known as chapters, covering subjects from agriculture and taxation to energy and trade. The process can take years. Last month, Ukraine and Moldova opened negotiations on a cluster of five chapters linked to the values and principles on which the EU was founded, including the rule of law, respect for fundamental rights and the functioning of democratic institutions.
On Tuesday, Ukraine and Moldova each opened a second cluster focused on foreign relations, security and defence policies, as well as trade policy, development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Albania's meeting was aimed at provisionally closing negotiating tracks on science and research, education and culture, and external relations. Montenegro, which hopes to join in 2028, was doing the same with competition policy and customs rules.
An important reason for the EU's quicker movement is the change of government in Hungary. Ukraine's accession process had long been held up by Hungary's former prime minister Viktor Orbn, a strident nationalist widely seen as Russia's strongest ally in Europe and a possible threat to the EU project. Because the bids of Ukraine and Moldova were linked, neither could move ahead.
Orbn, a friend of US President Donald Trump, was voted out in April after 16 years in power. He had often used EU voting rules that require all 27 member states to agree on certain rules, sanctions and even political statements. Unanimous approval is needed for each negotiating chapter to be opened and again for it to be closed.
Nine countries are officially candidates to join the EU: Albania, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey. Accession talks with Georgia and Turkey are on hold over concerns about democratic standards. Kosovo has also applied to join, but has not been granted candidate status. Overall, Tuesday's meetings marked an important advance for four candidates as the EU pushes ahead with enlargement after years of delay.
With PTI Inputs
