As Ukraine Pushes, EU Weighs How to Absorb New Members

The European Commission will lay out long-awaited proposals Tuesday on how to keep the EU workable if new members are admitted as Ukraine and others push to join. Russia’s 2022 invasion of its neighbour breathed fresh impetus into efforts to expand the European Union as Ukraine and Moldova joined the queue of countries seeking membership.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The ex-Soviet duo are now among four frontrunners, with Montenegro pressing to become the EU’s 28th member next year, and Albania not too far behind. But while Brussels insists enlargement is crucial for the EU’s future, there are major fears that adding new members – especially war-torn giant Ukraine – could shred the EU’s budget and render the bloc unmanageable. In a bid to alleviate the worries, diplomats expect Brussels to propose a series of “safeguards” to stop potential new members disrupting decisions or sapping too many resources. Those could include getting them not to use their veto power in key areas and limiting access to subsidies from the EU’s mammoth Common Agricultural Policy. Learning from the bitter experience of Hungary’s repeated blockages under former leader Viktor Orban, there are demands for more checks to stop new members rolling back on democracy or rule-of-law. “We must make sure we do not let in Trojan horses,” EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said in August. “Such measures are a must-have, not a nice-to-have. This is crucial to build confidence and unity inside our Union to accept new members.” Other Topics of Interest Russian Drone Debris Falls Across Kyiv, Setting Cars Ablaze Two cars were destroyed and a third damaged as drone debris fell in Pecherskyi, while another incident was reported in Solomianskyi. - ‘Roadmaps’ to membership - Tuesday’s proposal has been delayed for months as various EU countries have pushed a variety of ideas. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this year floated giving countries an “associate membership” status before fully joining that could allow them to attend – but not vote – at EU meetings. That plan received short shrift from a raft of EU countries and Ukraine, who saw it as a way of trapping wannabe members in a permanent halfway house. There has also been pushback against any idea of speeding up the process. “It is a positive sign that the commission finally may have listened to member states and dropped totally unrealistic or dangerous options, like enlargement light or a fast track,” said one EU diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity. EU leaders will debate the proposals at a summit next week and officials are hoping they at least give a clear signal they are still open for enlargement. In a bid to offset any complaints by the candidates, Brussels has said it will soon lay out “roadmaps” for the four frontrunners to try to pin down their path towards membership. Moldova’s Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said in Brussels on Monday that his country remained set on gaining “full membership” as soon as possible. “At the same time, we recognise the right of the member states to design an architecture that they consider most suitable for advancing the European idea,” he said.