Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Union enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said that new EU member states could be put on “probation” for a few years and excluded from the bloc in case of democratic backsliding and other concerns.
On Tuesday, the commission released its yearly report on the status of candidate countries, including Ukraine and Moldova, with Montenegro identified as the top performer in making the needed reforms for membership. But Kos admitted that EU capitals are privately much more cautious about accepting new members than their public support might indicate.
How does Marta Kos plan to prevent “Trojan horses”?
“I don’t want to go down as the commissioner bringing in the Trojan horses who will be then active in five, 10 or 15 years,”
the EU’s enlargement chief, Marta Kos, told the Financial Times. She expressed that the commission was fleshing out views such as a “transition period; a kind of probation; safeguards”, though she added they were in an early stage.
“We need this discussion and we shouldn’t be afraid of it,” she said.
Why is the EU considering probation for new members?
Acoording to reports, a lot of that feeling comes from the bloc’s experience with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has constantly diluted Russia sanctions, opposed military assistance to Ukraine and is growing more autocratic at home – even as Brussels sought to pressure him by suspending EU funds.
Could new safeguards make future EU accessions stricter?
Kos mentioned that the commission is developing proposals that would include more robust rule-of-law safeguards and more efficient pathways to suspend rights or benefits in the event of breaches of core values. A country could potentially be expelled from the club if breaches persisted, she said.
Tuesday’s enlargement report states
“future accession treaties will need to contain stronger safeguards against backsliding on commitments taken in the accession negotiations, as well as requirements for the new member states to continue to safeguard and make irreversible their track record on rule of law”.
“You don’t need Orbán to do the reforms for your transformation process,” she stated.
“Much more important is really going through the reforms. And there is a lot to do with both countries, Ukraine and Moldova.”
She also said bundling the two countries together — which in reality means Moldova’s accession efforts are held up by Orbán’s veto on Ukraine — was “artificial”, suggesting they could be separated if need be.
Will the proposed transition period create a two-tier EU?
Kos dismissed claims that the suggested reforms would lead to a “two-tier” EU membership, asserting that future members would probably pledge to abide by the rule of law and refrain from being subjected to any restrictions.
The commissioner stated prospective member states would only be welcomed into the club after they had pursued painful domestic changes, while acknowledging the new urgency for enlargement in Eastern Europe.
What risks does Russia pose to EU enlargement efforts?
“We have been able to stop Russia at the front door,”
Kos stated, referring to Ukraine’s fight with Russia, pro-EU electoral successes in Moldova and across-the-board approval for EU membership in candidate nations. But she cautioned that if the EU does not keep up momentum on enlargement,
“the biggest fear I have, then the Russians will come in at the back door”.
