By BRUSSELS. Sept 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday called on the European Union to formulate a concept for the successful expansion of the union, based on the merits of a particular state seeking EU membership.
“We need to set out a vision for a successful enlargement,” von der Leyen said in 2023 State of the Union Address at the European Parliament.
The president of the European Commission, in particular, expressed the opinion that the EU could have not 27, but more than 30 states. She added that in the future Ukraine, the countries of the Western Balkans and Moldova should be accepted into the union. Von der Leyen also noted “how important the EU perspective is for so many people in Georgia.”
“Accession is merit-based – and the Commission will always defend this principle. It takes hard work and leadership,” the president of the European Commission said.
However, according to her, there is already a lot of progress in some countries wishing to join the European Union.
Von der Leyen also spoke about the importance of reforming the EU as an institution, including by changing the EU Treaty and the European Convention if the need arises. However, she added, there is no need to “wait for Treaty change to move ahead with enlargement” of the EU.
“A Union fit for enlargement can be achieved faster,” she said.
According to the president of the European Commission, the commission will begin work on a policy review to see how each area may need to be adapted to a larger Union.
“We will need to think about how our institutions would work – how the Parliament and the Commission would look. We need to discuss the future of our budget – in terms of what it finances, how it finances it, and how it is financed. And we need to understand how to ensure credible security commitments in a world where deterrence matters more than ever. These are questions we must address today if we want to be ready for tomorrow,” von der Leyen said.
