EU preparing roadmaps for accession of Ukraine and three other countries

According to two senior EU officials cited by Politico, the European Union is drafting proposals that will provide the four countries considered the leading candidates for EU membership – Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and Albania – with a clear, step-by-step path to membership.

Source: European Pravda, citing Politico

Details: These four countries are considered front-runners for EU accession but still face slow progress and unclear timelines regarding when they might be officially admitted.

While Brussels has long supported their membership bids, the roadmaps will, for the first time, give these countries guarantees that if they continue carrying out the necessary reforms, they will be accepted – as well as offering target deadlines for completing negotiations.

According to a European Commission official, the roadmaps will define more clearly what is expected from each candidate country and establish obligations for current members, who must give their consent for the process to continue.

The plans also lay out target dates for officially concluding groups of reforms known as negotiating clusters.

Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, during her State of the Union speech in early September, promised targeted support to candidate countries "that have made the most progress".

However, as officials have confirmed, other candidate countries at earlier stages of the process, such as Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, will not be offered roadmaps at this stage. The same applies to Georgia, Türkiye or Serbia, whose applications have stalled over concerns regarding backsliding on democratic and judicial standards.

A European Commission spokesperson confirmed that the new roadmaps will map out the path towards concluding accession negotiations.

Quote: "They will set out a clear priority list: timelines and deliverables to help the most advanced candidates complete the necessary reforms."

Details: Against the backdrop of tensions with partners such as the US, hostile actions from China and threats from Russia, EU leaders are increasingly turning their attention to other democratic, free-trading nations, particularly in their region. Officials are concerned about the length of the EU accession process, which leaves potential new members vulnerable to frustration or pressure from competitors seeking to persuade them to abandon their bids for membership.

This move coincides with a separate review of EU "pre-enlargement" policies.

According to officials, candidate countries need to be offered a better path to "gradual integration" into the European Union – one that leverages economic benefits and access to joint projects as a reward for progress. Led by Alexandre Adam, a close advisor to von der Leyen, this policy review is set to be presented to officials on 6 October; it aims to keep candidate countries on track towards the EU while their applications are considered.

As part of this review, von der Leyen and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos will propose changes to the EU's internal operating mechanisms to ensure safeguards preventing new members from disrupting key policy areas or reneging on their commitments.

Background:

• Marta Kos outlined four areas of reform for the EU enlargement process – internal EU reforms, strengthened democratic guarantees, gradual integration and transitional measures.
• Euronews previously reported on Brussels' plans to create a roadmap for Albania, setting the end of 2027 as the target date for completing accession negotiations with the Balkan nation.

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