By TIVAT, Montenegro — EU leaders are seeking consensus on a plan to offer candidate countries some of the economic and political benefits of membership while they navigate the years-long process of joining the bloc.
The proposal, drawn up by France and Germany, was presented ahead of a meeting of presidents and prime ministers in Montenegro on Friday. Paris and Berlin suggested offering Western Balkan candidate countries observer status in the EU institutions and limited access to the Single Market as they complete the accession process.
The plan “did not fall on deaf ears,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal following talks in the coastal city of Tivat. “We should start the discussion at least because when you see the result of [everything] you are doing, hard work, reforms and so on, then your motivation to do it is much higher.”
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia have all applied to join the EU and have been waiting for years while the terms are discussed. The idea of giving these countries pre-accession benefits is seen as a way to ensure they don’t become disillusioned. According to two diplomats with knowledge of the talks who were granted anonymity to speak freely, leaders on Friday also agreed that the process of joining the bloc needs to become much faster.
European Council President António Costa was the first to publicly support discussion of the Franco-German plan. Following Friday’s talks, he told reporters that reform is on the table, suggesting “some kind of new omnibus on enlargement in order to move rapidly to conclude this merit-based process.”
“It looks positive,” said a senior EU official working on the issue. “We now need to see what specifically it could entail and see what others are saying and build consensus.”
Mixed bag
Montenegro, the host of Friday’s summit, is keen to avoid being on the list of countries that partial benefits are being considered for. Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said the country had “fulfilled all our obligations” to join the EU, and “will place ourselves in a position where we can enjoy all the rights and assume all the obligations” of full membership.
Some of those further behind in the process are keen to enjoy economic benefits as soon as possible. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said in January that a phased approach to integration was a “good idea,” and that he was under no illusion that the EU’s founding members “are the adults in the family who make the important decisions.”
However, some of the others are worried the move could create second-class countries that have to take orders from Brussels without proper representation.
While the proposal is intended only for the Western Balkans, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov warned against any situation where his country “is being offered everything except membership itself: access to the internal market, participation in EU programs, institutional engagement without voting rights and gradual inclusion in Union policies.”
“This creates a risk of forming two categories of candidate countries: Those for whom integration leads to membership, and those for whom integration risks becoming a substitute for membership,” he said. “Ukraine is not asking for privileged treatment but for equal application of agreed rules.”
According to Estonia’s Michal, “the goal should always be full membership.” There will always be “the expectation that Europe will keep its promises and when merits are met you will become a member,” he added.
Gabriel Gavin and Jakob Weizman reported from Tivat. Nicholas Vincour reported from Brussels.
Originally published on www.politico.eu — View original