The European Commission has adopted a package of changes to the rules to prepare the EU for the accession of new countries. This includes Ukraine

The European Commission College has presented a plan (pre-enlargement policy reviews) that includes, among other things, faster decision-making in the accession process of new countries, new safeguards against rollbacks from reforms, and the gradual integration of candidates into certain EU policies and sectors.

This is necessary to prepare the EU for the accession of new countries, including Ukraine.

The details of the package were presented by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos after a meeting of the College of European Commissioners on October 6 in Strasbourg, a Babel correspondent reports.

What the changes entail:

• Faster decisions. The European Commission wants to make wider use of the mechanisms provided for in the EU treaties, which allow for qualified majority voting instead of consensus in some areas. In particular, the Commission proposes to open negotiation clusters in this way and adopt other interim decisions on the path of countries to accession. Where general agreement cannot be reached, it proposes to act according to the principle of “enhanced cooperation”: a group of countries moves forward, and others join later.
• Gradual integration of candidates. Kos named the following areas: energy, transport, digital, AI, security and defense. The candidate must implement reforms and meet the EUʼs strategic interests. Participation will be conditional and reversible: the EU can cancel it if the country ceases to meet the conditions. In addition, the European Commission wants to hold dialogues with candidates every year to monitor progress and look for new opportunities for integration.

• New safeguards against reform backsliding. The European Commission proposes to strengthen the safeguards that will apply after the accession of new countries. In particular, a new institutional mechanism will operate for 15 years after accession and will cover serious violations of EU values and the principle of sincere cooperation. In the most serious cases, it could allow for the suspension of a countryʼs voting rights in the EU Council. Separately, EU rules will provide for the possibility of reducing or suspending funding if relevant conditions are not met.
• Policy and budget review. The European Commission has assessed how the future enlargement will affect various EU policies — in most areas the Union can accept new members already within the current treaty system. But it will have to strengthen administrative capacity, regulatory and supervisory systems, skills and compatibility of member statesʼ systems. Under the proposed budget system for 2028-2034, candidate countries will receive funding through the Global Europe program until accession, and after that they should switch to national and regional partnership plans. Additional funds are provided for cohesion policy, agriculture, home affairs and cross-border cooperation Interreg. For Ukraine, the European Commission is proposing separate conditions. Due to the size and high productivity of its agricultural sector, "targeted arrangements" should significantly limit financial support and access to the EU market for sensitive agricultural products. At the same time, Brussels promises to help Ukraine regain traditional export markets in countries outside the EU. Kos separately added that Ukraineʼs accession should not harm EU farmers.
• Roadmaps on the way to EU accession. The European Commission has named the four countries that have made the most progress on their path to accession: Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine. On October 28, together with the candidatesʼ annual progress reports, the European Commission will present roadmaps for these countries with approximate deadlines and clear steps. The map for Ukraine will be different.

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