Five countries believe that the EU should introduce additional safeguards for countries that will join the bloc in the future. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Reuters
Specifically, the proposal calls for: creating a new monitoring mechanism; strengthening oversight of compliance with democratic standards; establishing a mechanism to respond to violations of the rule of law; and discussing a temporary restriction on new members’ voting rights on certain issues.
This concerns areas where decisions are made only with the unanimous support of all EU countries. These are, first and foremost, EU enlargement, foreign policy, and the EU budget.
Why did this idea arise?
As Reuters notes, some EU countries are insisting on new oversight mechanisms following disputes surrounding Hungary, which has been repeatedly criticized within the EU for deviating from democratic principles. Against this backdrop, the EU continues to debate what the rules for future members should be.
The discussion is taking place at a time when several candidate countries are seeking to accelerate their EU accession negotiations. These include Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, and Montenegro.
Last week, Cyprus, which currently holds the EU Council presidency, announced the start of preparations to open the first cluster of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. It covers issues of the rule of law and democratic standards.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Tallinn, emphasized the need to continue the process of Ukraine’s accession to the EU. “Ukraine must be in the EU. All six accession clusters must be opened without delay. NATO must remain on the negotiating table as the strongest guarantee of security,” Kristen Michal stated.
