Enlargement is key to strengthening the European Union (EU), said Marie Bjerre, Minister for European Affairs of Denmark, the current EU presidency, today, after an informal meeting of European Affairs Ministers of the 27 EU member states and European Integration Ministers of candidate countries in Copenhagen, the Danish presidency announced.
It was announced that at the meeting they discussed, among other things, the efforts of countries wishing to become members to adapt to the Copenhagen criteria and how to strengthen motivation for important reform work, which is a topic at the top of the agenda.
"We are facing a new reality, with new winds from the United States of America (US) and an aggressive Russia. This means that the EU must be able to stand more independently. EU enlargement plays a decisive role in strengthening the Union. A larger European Union will contribute to a more stable and predictable security situation across Europe, and that is what we need," Bjere said.
It was emphasized that enlargement is a key priority for the Danish presidency of the Union.
As the EU Council Presidency, Denmark is working towards concrete progress in the enlargement negotiations, the statement said.
The Danish minister pointed out that this includes Ukraine, whose reform efforts in difficult circumstances are impressive.
She assessed that significant progress can also be made with other candidate countries that are actively engaged in reform efforts.
At the meeting, EU ministers also discussed internal reforms of the Union in preparation for the admission of new members, the statement said.
It was assessed that the discussions are a useful contribution to the European Commission, which this year is expected to present a series of analyses on the consequences of enlargement for the EU.
The Danish Presidency of the Union also places great emphasis on the rule of law and strengthening EU values. Two concrete examples are that the Presidency will continue the dialogue on the rule of law in the Council of the EU and work on the procedure against Hungary for violating EU values.
"Our discussions today showed broad support for protecting the EU's common values. I also noted strong support among most of my EU colleagues to strengthen EU instruments that ensure compliance with the EU's fundamental values," Bjere said.
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