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At the end of October 2024, the European Commission adopted the annual Enlargement Package, providing a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Türkiye, on their respective paths towards the EU accession. The assessments are accompanied by recommendations and guidance on the reform priorities in building a stronger Union.
Unprecedented challenges occurred during last five years demonstrating the importance of some new impetus for the EU enlargement. Presently, more than ever, EU membership is a strategic choice: alignment with EU values, the rule of law and the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy are the most significant indications of strategic orientation in the new geopolitical context. The tense geopolitical context makes it more compelling than ever the reunification of the European continent under the same values of democracy and the rule of law: hence, the enlargement has become a top priority of the new Commission.
The EU enlargement represents a geostrategic investment in peace, stability, security and socio-economic growth of the European continent. The annual Enlargement Package provides a factual and fair assessment of the partners’ progress, coupled with clear guidance, enabling them to identify where and how the accelerated reforms could drive their progress towards EU membership. For example, dedicated Economic and Investment Plans, the Ukraine Facility as well as the Growth Plans for the Western Balkans and Moldova, have put in place additional tools and instruments to help countries accelerate socio-economic convergence and reform efforts on their path to the enlarged Union.
References to: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/da/ip_24_5583
Background
EU enlargement will bring far reaching socio-economic benefits to its current and future members. The increase in the number of consumers in the single market will provide major opportunities for business to expand and trade more freely.
To enable sustainable growth in the medium term and make progress in meeting the economic criteria for EU membership, it is increasingly important that enlargement countries accelerate structural reforms. This involves ensuring functioning market economies and demonstrating capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces in the EU. Economic policies should also support ambitious goals under the green and digital transition.
New tools and instruments are boosting the socio-economic growth in our partner countries. As the accession process accelerates, the EU is bringing forward some of the benefits of single market and providing increased financial assistance to enable our partners’ gradual integration and anchoring in the EU.
In addition to the successful Economic and Investment Plans, the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans with its €6 billion Reform & Growth Facility and the €50 billion Ukraine Facility are incentivizing reforms, with justice and the rule of law at the core of the process.
In the same vein, on 10 October 2024, the Commission presented the Growth Plan for Moldova with its €1.8 billion Reform & Facility to support its socio-economic reforms and boost investment.
More in: https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/eu-accession-process-step-step-0_en
Economic and investment plan
The Economic and Investment Plans for enlargement have been proposed already in 2019: thus, in the relation to the Western Balkans, about one-third of the GDP of the entire region (i.e. €30 billion) was mobilized. As to the whole Balkans, the process is almost at 60% in terms of implementation, and the EU has invested already more than €17 billion in the regional economy directly.
In the case of the Southern neighbourhood, these figures are even higher – 86%, and about 77 % in the East; it shows that the EU “is strong on these areas and deliver to these regions, but there is a strong uptake and strong ownership in all these three regions”.
In the remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Borrell and Commissioner Várhelyi on the 2024 Enlargement Package, it was mentioned that at the last massive enlargement in 2019 there were 5 candidate countries; there are presently 9 candidates and 1so-called “potential candidate”. So it makes 10 countries, twice more, which shows the EU “acts as a magnet, attracting people, neighbors and states”.
Source and reference to: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/da/speech_24_5588
More information on enlargement issues in the following Commission’s web-links: – 2024 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy; for detailed findings and recommendations on each country, in: – Albania: Report & Country factsheet; – Bosnia and Herzegovina: Report & Country factsheet; – Kosovo: Report & Country factsheet; – Montenegro: Report & Country factsheet; – North Macedonia: Report & Country factsheet; – Serbia: Report & Country factsheet; – Georgia: Report & Country factsheet; – Moldova: Report & Country factsheet; – Ukraine: Report & Country factsheet; and – Türkiye: Report & Country factsheet.