Enlargement raises concerns of destabilising the balance of power within the Union. Unless an alternative arrangement can be agreed
EU accession remains highly contentious – both for existing members and for hopeful applicants. As pressure rises to make progress on integrating Eastern European candidates, concern among many EU countries grows about how new capitals could upset the balance of power.
To assuage these worries, a “temporary” format that would deny voting rights to new members is gaining traction. This would allow the Union to bring strategic countries on its periphery into its political orbit without its decision-making process being vulnerable to vetoes from new members.
It’s an arrangement that France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are pushing, according to a document seen by Rapporteur, Euractiv’s flagship newsletter.
“Enlargement is a strategic tool, but only if it makes the EU stronger, not weaker,” Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen told Euractiv. “That’s why we believe the time has come for serious conversations about what an enlarged Union should look like. We cannot allow enlargement itself to undermine the EU’s ability to act.”
