European Council President António Costa endorsed a simplification of the EU’s rules on accepting new members, saying the bloc needs to "accelerate" its enlargement to show Western Balkan partners it is "serious" about turning their EU ambitions into a reality.
Speaking exclusively to Euronews from Tivat, Montenegro – where EU and Western Balkan leaders will huddle for talks Friday – Costa floated ways to simplify the current methodology, which has been described as burdensome and contributing to frustration in a region where some countries have been stuck in limbo for almost two decades.
“We currently need to vote (...) more than 40 times to deliver in all the process,” Costa told Euronews., adding that the EU could look to "reduce the moments when we take decisions to streamline" the process.
EU membership requires the unanimous approval of all member states at several stages of the process, giving EU governments the opportunity to wield their veto power.
North Macedonia’s EU bid has historically been torpedoed by repeated vetoes by Greece and Bulgaria over disputes related to constitutional matters and minority rights. Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán routinely used veto powers to block Ukraine from making any progress towards EU integration.
