Ukraine and Other Candidate Countries Could Join EU on Limited Terms

The European Union is considering a new proposal that would allow countries to join the bloc without full voting rights in order to speed up enlargement and circumvent resistance from certain members.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Politico.

The initiative envisages that new member states, such as Ukraine, Moldova, and Montenegro, would receive most of the benefits of membership but would not have the right to veto key political decisions until the EU has carried out the necessary institutional reforms, in particular the introduction of qualified voting in most areas.

“Future members should be required to waive their right of veto until key institutional reforms — such as the introduction of qualified majority voting in most policy areas — have been implemented,” said Anton Hofreiter, chair of the German Bundestag’s European Affairs Committee. “Enlargement must not be slowed down by individual EU member states blocking reforms.”

This approach should make the accession process more flexible and avoid lengthy negotiations on changes to the EU's basic treaties.

This proposal is a response to the blocking of the enlargement process by some countries, notably Hungary, as well as other states that fear competition in the markets or have certain concerns about security issues.

At the same time, the countries of Northern Europe, the Baltic states, and Central Europe traditionally support enlargement, viewing it as a strategic priority in the face of external threats, including Russia's expansionist policy.

The proposal is still in its early stages and requires the approval of all existing EU members, but its developers hope that partially limiting the veto rights of new members will help revive the enlargement process and accelerate the integration of countries seeking to join the bloc.

Earlier, the Member of the European Parliament suggested that Ukraine could become a member of the EU even if part of its territory remains occupied, following the example of West Germany or Cyprus.

As The Gaze previously reported, the European Union is exploring reforms to its enlargement process that could allow Ukraine and other candidate countries to join the bloc more quickly.