They proposed a new approach to enlargement that would allow candidate countries to gradually join EU institutions, decision-making processes and the Single Market before becoming full members, according to a non-paper seen by European Western Balkans and other European media.
The document, entitled “A new dynamic for enlargement”, was drawn up ahead of the EU summit – taking place in Tivat, Montenegro and the EU-Moldova summit later this month.
On the Synod’s table is the issue of the enlargement of the Union with six countries: Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Of the six Western Balkan countries, the first to join, perhaps as early as 2028, should be Montenegro, which has made the most progress, followed by Albania, which is being talked about in 2030.
What do France and Germany support for the Western Balkans?
France and Germany argue that enlargement policy needs “new dynamism” and call for a more efficient accession process that focuses on reforms rather than procedural obstacles. As stated, the EU will stand by the Western Balkans and Moldova, which represent an opportunity that should not be missed.
“Our common goal is to complete the Union as a truly European Union,” the informal document says, adding that the current methodology should be optimized to enable “faster and deeper EU integration under the Copenhagen criteria.”
The two member states propose a pre-accession strategy that includes a toolbox with a set of building blocks that bring candidate countries closer to the EU through a more structured gradual integration, thus providing additional incentives for reforms.
“These building blocks should build on the progress made in the accession process and be reversible if the candidate country concerned backslides in its reform process and in relation to the core values and principles of the EU. While each candidate country should benefit from an individualized approach, the new approach will provide immediate and tangible progress for all candidate countries. The goal of full EU membership remains unaffected, our intention is neither to replace full EU membership nor to prolong the path towards it, but quite the opposite: We want to create incentives to encourage faster progress along this path. In this way, we ensure that gradual integration contributes to the successful enlargement of the EU – strengthening the EU as a whole,” reads this non-official document from France and Germany.
The importance of pre-accession strategy
Central to the proposal is the creation of a pre-accession strategy based on gradual integration.
According to the document, candidate countries will gain access to various benefits as they move forward with negotiations, while these benefits could be reversed in cases of democratic backsliding or breach of EU values.
France and Germany stress that the aim is not to replace full EU membership, but to accelerate the path towards it, creating additional incentives for reform.
Among the measures proposed in the non-paper is the possibility for candidate countries to gain preferential access to the EU’s single market and stronger links with EU institutions, including a progressive observer status at EU meetings. The European Commission is also called on to come forward with concrete proposals that would facilitate gradual integration.
The “building blocks”
The proposed “structural elements” include regular joint meetings between the European Commission, members of the European Parliament and representatives of candidate countries, more frequent parliamentary cooperation and participation in selected debates of the European Council and the Council of the EU. Candidate countries that have closed relevant negotiating chapters could attend Council meetings as observers, without the right to vote.
The informal document also provides for participation in specific meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council for countries temporarily closing Chapter 31 on foreign, security and defense policy. Further enhanced security and defense cooperation is proposed, including participation in PESCO projects, stronger cooperation with Frontex and integration into EU cyber security mechanisms.
In addition, France and Germany support the wider participation of candidate countries in EU programs such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Digital Europe and Creative Europe, as well as deeper sectoral integration in the Single Market through initiatives such as SEPA, Roam Like at Home, the Energy Market, the Digital Single Market and the Transport Community.
The most ambitious proposal envisages full participation in the Single Market under an “EEA+ model” for countries that adopt and implement the EU acquis relating to bundles 1 to 5 and temporarily close the relevant negotiation chapters.
According to the document, the proposed measures will apply to candidate countries from the Western Balkans and Moldova and will remain strictly merit-based, depending on progress in reforms and compliance with EU standards.
Who participates in the Synod?
For the Tivat Summit, more than 30 EU and Western Balkan leaders gathered, including European Council President Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Giorgia Meloni, with the aim of strengthening the European perspective of the region.
The President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, also participates in this, who in his statement emphasized that Greece consistently and consistently supports the European course of the Western Balkans, recalling the Thessaloniki Declaration of 2003 as the starting point of this process. As he mentioned, the accession perspective is also a matter of national interest, as Athens seeks to establish a stable and union institutional environment on its northern borders.
