Playing the Author: A Think Tank’s Hypothetical European Council’s Conclusions on Enlargement

European Policy Centre (CEP-Belgrade),

• having regard to Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU),

• having regard to the presidency conclusions of the European Council meeting held in Copenhagen on 21 and 22 June 1993, also known as the Copenhagen Criteria, having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 29 and 30 April 1997 on the application of conditionality with a view to developing a coherent EU strategy for relations with the countries in the Western Balkan region,

• having regard to the declaration adopted at the EU-Western Balkans Summit held in Thessaloniki on 21 June 2003, concerning the prospect of the Western Balkan countries joining the EU,

• having regard to the Berlin Process launched on 28 August 2014,

• having regard to the EU Global Strategy of 2016, which specifies that a credible enlargement policy represents a strategic investment in Europe’s security and prosperity, and has already contributed greatly to peace in formerly war-torn areas,

• having regard to the Commission communication of 5 February 2020 entitled ‘Enhancing the accession process – A credible EU perspective for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020)0057),

• having regard to the Commission communication of 6 October 2020 entitled ‘An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020)0641),

• having regard to the European Court of Auditors special report 01/2022 of 10 January 2022 entitled ‘EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans: despite efforts, fundamental problems persist’,

• having regard to the Austrian non-paper from May 2022 entitled “EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy beyond existing templates”

• having regard to the Commission communication of 12 October 2022 entitled ‘2022 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy’ (COM(2022)528),

• having regard to the Czech Presidency’s non-paper of 21 November 2022 entitled “Non-paper on accelerated/gradual integration for COELA Capitals”

• having regard to the European Parliament’s recommendation of 23 November 2022 to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the new EU strategy for enlargement (2022/2064(INI))

• having regard to the European Council conclusions of 23 and 24 June 2022, whereby the European Union expressed its full and unequivocal commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans and called for the acceleration of the accession process, while inviting the Commission, the High Representative and the Council to further advance the gradual integration between the European Union and the region already during the enlargement process itself in a reversible and merit-based manner,

• having regard to the presentation of preliminary results of the Franco-German working group of experts on EU institutional reforms, including the enlargement policy, to the General Affairs Council in May 2023,

• having regard to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal of a “new growth plan for the Western Balkans” of 31 May 2023

A. whereas enlargement is one of the Union’s most successful policies, and it remains a strategic, future-oriented geopolitical investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity on the European continent;

B. whereas in the light of the growing Russian threat to European peace and stability, an enhanced enlargement policy remains the strongest geopolitical tool at the EU’s disposal;

C. whereas 21 June 2023 marks the 20^th anniversary of the Thessaloniki Summit;

D. whereas the 2020 revised enlargement methodology has not been fully operationalised, particularly the possibility of increasing funding to the candidate countries moving on reform priorities agreed in negotiations and allowing them to participate as observers in key European Union meetings on matters of substantial importance to them, including the organisation of political country-specific intergovernmental conferences the Commission’s annual package of reports on each country;

E. whereas the Commission, the High Representative and the Council have yet to further advance the gradual integration between the European Union and the region already during the enlargement process itself in a reversible and merit-based manner;

F. whereas the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal of a “new growth plan for the Western Balkans” is still lacking in details;

G. whereas the Franco-German working group is expected to come out with concrete proposals on EU institutional reforms, including the enlargement policy, this Fall;

H. whereas the think tanks from the Western Balkans, as well as their counterparts across the EU, have developed innovative and effective proposals to enhance the enlargement policy by devising a structural, staged or gradual approach entailing an introduction and increase of financial and institutional incentives to candidate countries throughout the pre-accession period, while directly linking the progressive access to these benefits, including reversibility, with the level of preparedness across clusters or lack thereof;  

1. Recommends that the European Council:
   
   a) reiterates that the EU’s enlargement policy is the single most effective EU instrument for securing peace, prosperity and fundamental values on the European continent;
   
   b) acknowledges the need for the EU to enhance the effectiveness of its enlargement policy swiftly, upgrade its enlargement strategy, fully operationalise the revised enlargement methodology, and undertake a thorough critical assessment and revision of the EU’s enlargement capacity and perspectives;
   
   c) encourages the think tanks working on advancing the notion of structural, staged or gradual integration to continue with the productive work they have done thus far;
   
   d) stresses the need for the Commission, the High Representative and the Council to follow up without further delay on the European Council’s 2023 conclusions which called for further advancement of the gradual integration between the European Union and the region already during the enlargement process itself in a reversible and merit-based manner;
   
   e) invites the Commission to provide details of the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal of a “new growth plan for the Western Balkans” in a timely manner;
   
   f) recommends that the Commission places further emphasis on the Fundamentals cluster when assessing the level of reforms in the region, particularly the Functioning of Democratic Institutions, considering that this sub-area is the only one for which a preparedness assessment is missing, as well as explores the possibility of quantifying the progress;
   
   g) underlines that any attempt to accelerate the accession process does not come at the cost of implementation of fundamental reforms, particularly in the area of the rule of law, including progressive alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and efforts to secure stabilisation and normalisation of relations in the region;
   
   h) invites the member states to consider setting an indicative target year for the next enlargement so as to solidify the EU’s commitment to prepare for an increased membership as well as a pledge of willing candidates to prepare for membership by that target year;
   
   
2. Instructs its President to forward these recommendations to European Council members and, for information, the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as to the governments and parliaments of the accession countries.