The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced last week at the Bled Strategic Forum that “in the next Commission, enlargement must be a full-time job that requires undivided attention, and that is why I will appoint a dedicated Commissioner for enlargement. Let us write history together”. 

Why is it relevant

The move marks the return of Enlargement policy to the top of the EU’s political agenda. Von der Leyen linked this ‘new life into the enlargement process’ to the current geopolitical circumstances. She stated that ‘Russia’s full-fledged war in Ukraine is for Europe a turning point like 1989. We live in a different world, and we are forced to rethink our policies and objectives. If making Europe economically competitive and capable of defending itself is our fundamental objective, then I see the Western Balkans’ integration in the European Union as critically important.’

Context

In the current Commission, which will conclude its term this fall, the Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi is also responsible for the EU’s neighbourhood policy. His portfolio is only partially focused on enlargement, as it also includes responsibility for countries from Eastern Europe to North Africa that fall within the EU’s neighbourhood policy.

With the inclusion of three Eastern European countries in the enlargement process—Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia—alongside the six Western Balkan countries—Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo—as well as Turkey, the number of countries in the enlargement process has increased to ten.

Moreover, the EU is rethinking its enlargement strategies through a policy of gradual integration. Von der Leyen focused on the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans as a key element of this new approach. As part of the Growth Plan exercise, the six Western Balkan countries are expected to adopt reform agendas later this month. These new reform agendas are linked to 6 billion EURO in European investments, according to the principle that ‘reform is met with investment’. 

The President of the European Commission stated that ‘when all these reforms will be completed, each partner will receive roughly as much aid per person as the Western Balkans would under the European Union’s cohesion policy.’