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Michel: The EU and candidate countries can be ready for enlargement by 2030

by AI | 25.Oct 2024 | Europe in brief AI

According to the outgoing President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the EU and the candidate countries for membership in the Union may be ready for enlargement by 2030.

President of the European Council Charles Michel. Photo: European Union

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Brussels – The goal for both the EU and candidate countries to be ready for EU enlargement by 2030 is still achievable, the outgoing President of the European Council Charles Michel said in an interview with the European Newsroom (ENR), of which STA is a part.

“Due to the recent geopolitical events, I am more convinced than ever that it would be absurd if the EU did not accelerate enlargement,” Michel said in a Thursday interview regarding his statement at last year’s Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, that both the EU and candidate countries should be ready for enlargement by 2030.

He assessed that this is still a realistic goal if there is political will. Both sides must do their homework.

In light of discussions on greater use of qualified majority decision-making instead of unanimity in the EU Council, which some member states want to use to accelerate the enlargement process, he warned of the risk of abandoning efforts to find a unified position. However, he emphasized that this issue is not black and white.

“We should address the risk of misuse of the member states’ right to veto. I think that some principles could be established to ensure that the right to veto is used only in the case of serious threats to national interests,” he explained.

This could prevent, among other things, individual members from blocking a candidate country’s further rapprochement with the EU due to a dispute, said the former Belgian Prime Minister. (October 25)

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