Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has profoundly changed the geopolitical landscape of Europe, demonstrating that the Union is stronger, safer, and more competitive when acting united. For the first time in a generation, the prospect of a larger Union becomes real – emphasizes a press release published Monday on the official page of the European Union in the Republic of Moldova, in the context of the forum on November 18, reports IPN.
On November 18, in Brussels, the first edition of the EU Enlargement Forum will take place, organized by the European Commission and hosted by the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos.
According to the cited source, the event takes place at a time when the expansion process gains a new momentum, “becoming an engine of stability, prosperity, and democratic reforms across the entire continent”.
The forum will bring together a wide and diverse range of participants under the slogan: “By expanding the Union, we secure our future.”
“With the most ambitious expansion agenda of the last decade, the Commission’s strategic vision for the period 2024-2029 aims to transition from ambition to action, through a credible, merit-based, inclusive and forward-looking approach, reflecting European values and preparing the Union for the upcoming challenges,” is stated in the same press release.
At the Forum, leaders from EU institutions, member states and candidate countries, representatives of civil society, entrepreneurs, as well as artists, young people and public policy experts will participate. The event is designed as an interactive platform, intended to stimulate “an authentic European dialogue about the future of the Union”.
According to sources in Brussels, quoted by Politico, the European Union is considering the accession of some countries without full voting rights in the first phase, in an attempt to make leaders like Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, and others more open to the accession of countries such as Ukraine to the community bloc. The initiative, in an early stage of discussions, assumes that new members will only gain full rights after the European Union rethinks its mode of action, making it more difficult for a single state to block policies by veto.
“From discussions with representatives of the Western Balkan states, I receive clear signals that this approach is considered constructive and viable,” declared Anton Hofreiter, the president of the Committee for European Affairs in the German Bundestag.
