New approach would help EU pack a bigger geopolitical punch and counter the influence of Moscow or Beijing, says confidential paper
Five EU countries have called on the European Commission to rethink how it involves prospective members from the Western Balkans in the bloc’s single market, pitching it as a way to keep membership hopefuls out of Russia’s sphere of influence.
“To sustain the momentum of enlargement and advance European integration, strong and attractive incentives are needed,” Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia wrote in a confidential document that was circulated among the 27 EU countries in Brussels last Friday and first reported by Rapporteur.
“Merit-based access – if necessary, step by step – to the European single market represents such an incentive,” wrote the countries, which are part of an informal club that politically supports the Western Balkans’ EU aspirations.
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