The enlargement of the European Union can make significant progress in the next decade, said EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Coss during a hearing in the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. According to her, within the next five years we can expect the accession of one to three new countries, quoted by BTA.
Coss stressed that the war in Ukraine has created new opportunities for EU enlargement. She assured that there will be no “geopolitical reduction“, as each of the applicant countries will be assessed according to the progress made. The European Commissioner expects that by the middle of the year the actual negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova will start and that progress will be made in the negotiations with the countries of the Western Balkans. Kos expressed gratitude for Moldova's efforts and insisted that the country not be left behind by the EU.
According to her, the events in Georgia show that there is also the possibility of setbacks on the path to the EU. She categorically condemned the actions of the Georgian authorities against citizens protesting against the government's decision to suspend negotiations with the EU.
EU enlargement is a public project in which everyone must participate: citizens, governments, parliaments and the opposition, Kos emphasized. She announced that she would visit Montenegro this week, and that a sports meeting between teams from EU countries and candidate countries is also being prepared, emphasizing that culture and sports should be included in efforts for faster rapprochement.
“We are increasingly witnessing how force and power are used for blackmail, and how military solutions are preferred to peaceful conflict resolution“, Kos also pointed out, adding that a lot of effort and resources are being invested in attempts to make Europe fail in this complex world.