Debate: Assessment of the revised enlargement methodology proposal of the Commission
Date: MONDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2020
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

This is a good opportunity here to present our idea, how to enhance the accession process and how to give a credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans. Let me emphasise that for our geopolitical Commission, the full engagement with our neighbours is a top priority. Europe needs to have a strong united voice in the world and it needs to play its geopolitical role to the fore, especially when it comes to its neighbourhood. This is especially valid where we must engage strongly in pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity. This is in our own interest. It is also a question of credibility. The priority of this Commission is to accelerate progress in the Western Balkans, keeping a credible perspective for future accession. Therefore, we are working on three tracks. The first of these is the communication on the revised enlargement methodology, which I will outline for you in more detail shortly. The second track is opening discussion negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, before the Western Balkans summit in Zagreb. Ahead of the Zagreb Summit, we will complete the picture with the third track by presenting a major economic and investment development plan for the region. The objective will be to speed up the building of a solid and resilient economy and bring these countries faster and closer to our own standards. When it comes to the first track, the revised enlargement methodology is based on four main principles, four principles that should work both for the accession countries and also for our own Member States. First, the process has to be more credible. Countries need to deliver on the reforms they promised, and the EU needs to deliver when they do so. To help credibility, you will see an ever-stronger focus on the fundamental freedoms and reforms, as this is the core for real transformation. This means the rule of law, but also functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform and economic criteria. The second principle is about putting the political nature of the process front and centre. We intend to ensure top-level engagement with the candidate countries through regular EU-Western Balkans summits and ministerial meetings. We want to involve Member States more strongly and give them better opportunities to monitor and review the process, to support and keep track of the fundamental reforms needed. The third principle addresses the need to make the whole process more dynamic, with a stronger focus on core sectors. Clustering chapters by policy fields will allow for more thorough political discussions on thematic areas. It will also allow us to identify opportunities for early alignment and involvement in EU policies, such as our digital agenda or our trans-European networks in transport and energy. I also want to highlight that when important reforms have been implemented already before the opening, then the timeframe between opening the cluster and closing individual chapters should be limited, preferably within a year, fully dependent on the progress of the reforms. This is an important political offer from our side to the whole region. If they deliver, we will also be ready to deliver. The cluster on fundamentals, rule of law, economic criteria and public administration reform will of course take a central role. It will be the first chapter to be opened and it will be the last to be closed. And sufficient progress will be needed in these areas before other clusters can be closed. The fourth principle is about making the process more predictable for both sides. This will mean ensuring that candidate countries have greater clarity on the conditions they need to meet and what is the positive impact when there is progress, and what are the negative consequences in case of non-delivery. We need clear and tangible incentives to encourage reforms. If countries move on agreed reform priorities sufficiently, citizens should see the benefits of accelerated integration and phasing into EU policies, markets and programmes, combined with increased funding and investments. At the same time, Member States need to be confident that there is reversibility and corrective measures will be taken where reforms go off track. This will be done through more decisive measures, sanctioning and serious or prolonged stagnation or backsliding. Finally, I have to reiterate that while we are strengthening and improving the process, the goal remains the same: accession and full EU membership. In parallel to this, as the second strand, the Commission stands by the recommendations to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, and we hope that these can be opened before the Western Balkans summit in Zagreb. Both countries have delivered on what they were asked. During my recent visit to Skopje and Tirana I underlined the importance of reforms and called for their implementation to continue. Both countries have engaged in further reform efforts. At the same time, to be a credible partner, the EU needs to deliver on its promises as well. The Commission will give detailed information on the progress made by these two countries still in February, in order to prepare the ground for the Council for the decision. We are convinced that any further postponement would entail a strong risk, undermining the stability of the entire region. We would also risk further manipulation by third country actors and others offering false alternative narratives. Finally, on the third track, these substantially transformative reforms that the Western Balkan countries need to carry out can be best supported by solid and accelerated economic growth and developing functioning market economies. Therefore, as input to the Zagreb Summit, the Commission would propose a new economic-based policy approach as the cornerstone of a forward-looking agenda for the region. Our objective is to intensify our presence in the Western Balkans, to increase investment and to help to close the economic development gap between us. We have to look at what concrete measures we can take to bring forward investments in the Western Balkans, to enhance access to the EU single market, create jobs and entrepreneur opportunities, improve the business and the investment climate and stop the brain drain from the region. As you can see, this is an ambitious agenda for the region. We will need the very strong political support of this House to deliver it. We collectively have to regain trust and credibility. This means we have to treat our Western Balkans partners more and more as future Member States, which is our commonly agreed destiny. This is for the benefit of the European Union as a whole.