EU keen to add Balkan countries, rewriting methodology for admitting new states to counter French concerns
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi speaks with journalists during a news conference at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. February 5, 2020.
Unveiling a new methodology at Paris's request to admit new members, Varhelyi said enlargement was "geo-strategic", a reference to a view in the EU that the bloc cannot stem its waning global influence without stability in the Balkans., which were reported on Tuesday.The European Commission is to propose a tougher admissions procedure for new member states with a provision to re-open parts of the process if candidates are seen as backsliding.
The plan will be seen as an attempt to placate France, which has blocked the entry of Albania and North Macedonia into the club despite their having met the existing admissions criteria. But the draft, "enhancing the accession process: a credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans", calls for a "stronger political steer" from leaders inside and outside the union.
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