EU Enlargement: a strategic necessity and a call for EU reforms

Ahead of the plenary debate and vote on the EU enlargement strategy, the Renew Europe Group calls for support for the wider use of qualified majority voting in the enlargement process. We are very clear: Enlargement is a strategic necessity and opportunity for Europe, but rule of law, democratic institutions, respect for human rights and alignment with the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy are non-negotiable. “A larger Union means stronger economy, greater security, and more global influence - benefits that extend to all Europeans. Yet, if we don't reform and adapt, we will be left behind. We call on all political groups to endorse the report as a Parliament’s position and support the text, calling for an extended application of qualified majority vote.”, Petras Auštrevičius, EP rapporteur said.

The report will be voted in plenary on Wednesday and has three main takeaways: First, accession is a key instrument for our collective resilience. The process has a significant role for promoting peace, democracy, the rule of law and for protecting both candidate countries and the EU from foreign malign interference. If we leave legitimate pro-European aspirations of our neighbours unmet, we are risking increased instability at our borders that others, like Russia and China, will exploit. The text places rule of law, democratic reform at the heart of enlargement. Renew MEP Auštrevičius added:

The report also welcomes recent progress by several candidate countries and urges EU institutions to match this momentum - remove internal obstacles, while strictly maintaining a merit-based and predictable accession process.

, EP rapporteur Auštrevičius summarised.