European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said today that Montenegro's accession treaty with the European Union should be the first in a "new generation" of treaties, with stronger protection mechanisms that would, in the event of a setback in the rule of law, "have teeth" and take serious action.
At the enlargement conference in Tallinn, she stressed that full membership must not come at the expense of key reforms, and that Montenegro - which is working to close all negotiation chapters by the end of the year - could set the standard for future enlargements.
"We have reached a point where an open debate is needed to answer the key question, how do we apply our ingredients for success (EU enlargement) in a world that can hardly be compared to the times of 2004 and 2007?" asked Marta Kos, according to the European Western Balkans portal. She said she saw five crucial elements, the first of which is "no shortcuts in reforms".
"The fight against corruption and the building of democratic institutions remain the cornerstone of EU enlargement. Full EU membership can never come at the expense of these essential reforms," said Marta Kos.
As a second element, she said that there must be no "Trojan horses" and that the EU must be secured against steps backwards.
"The lesson from 2004 is that we must have safeguards that ensure that new members play by the rules and that the integrity of our Union is preserved, even after five, ten, 20 years," Kos said.
According to her, if the EU cannot offer convincing answers to this, it will not have sufficient public support needed for enlargement.
"I therefore advocate that future accession treaties contain stronger safeguards against backsliding compared to the commitments undertaken during the accession negotiations, to ensure that new member states continue to maintain their performance in key areas," said the European Commissioner.
As Montenegro works to close all negotiation chapters by the end of this year, it has stated that its accession treaty should be the first of a new generation.
"Any safeguard mechanism should remain in place for as long as necessary, but our treaties are clear - they must not create a 'two-tier' membership for countries that are fully aligned with the EU acquis. Simply put: if new members respect the rules, these safeguard mechanisms will not even be noticed. But if countries go backwards on our fundamental values, such as the rule of law, these mechanisms must act strongly," Kos said.
She added that the Commission will forward this proposal to the EU Council so that the decision can be taken further through the procedure.
"Third, the EU must prepare for new members. We are currently carrying out enlargement impact assessments to ensure that a Union of more than 30 countries is credible and effective in delivering results to all our citizens across the EU," Kos said.
Fourth, she said that the EU should reward those who deliver reforms and alignment with EU rules - with faster integration into Union policies and structures.
"We are already doing this through integration into our Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) or the free roaming zone, which has been extended to Ukraine and Moldova since the beginning of the year. We are now proposing to member states to do the same for the six Western Balkan countries," Kos said.
Finally, as the fifth point, she mentioned a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine.
"Ukraine's integration into the EU, in the context of the implementation of the peace agreement and possibly far-reaching security guarantees, will undoubtedly bring new setbacks. We must consider a new path, without shortcuts, in line with the changing realities in Europe," said Marta Kos.
She added that she is glad that this debate is gaining momentum, with EU leaders proposing different models for Ukraine's accession to the EU.
"Let's have this discussion, but with one starting point - full membership comes only after complete reforms," Kos concluded.
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