Ukraine has to become EU member and it is good to have a horizon for new members – Borrell

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, expressed support for an indicative timeframe for the accession of new members to the EU.

Source: European Pravda; European External Action Service briefing

Details: At a press conference following an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain, Borrell said that the issue of enlargement "has been floating over our discussions".

Quote: "Ukraine has to become a member of the European Union. The Western Balkans also. Quickly. I think that the war in Ukraine has had a collateral effect that is to speed up the enlargement process, which is certainly a merit-based process. A state will become a member when it fulfils all the conditions.

But at the same time, I think it is good to set a political target – a horizon – in order to give a political impetus to the process. And also for us, of course – because yes, we too have to be prepared for an enlargement that could add 10 more members."

Details: Borrell did not specify which those ten new members would be.

Borrell added that the "time target" of EU enlargement could "mobilise our energyies and the energies of the candidate countries".

Background: On 28 August, European Council President Charles Michel said at a forum in the Slovenian resort town of Bled that the European Union must be ready to accept new member states by 2030.

Before the assembled leaders, he stressed that EU enlargement is and will remain a merit-based process, as EU membership carries both responsibilities and benefits.

The European Commission, however, did not support the call to prepare for EU enlargement by a specific year.

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