French President Emmanuel Macron. Photography: consilium.europa.eu
A renewed approach for EU enlargement proposed by the French President Emmanuel Macron opens up a new chapter in the European Union’s issue of new membership.
By Nynke van der Heide.
Brussels – After hours of heated discussion and debate it became clear that the leaders of the European Union would fail to come to any agreement on the accession of North Macedonia and Albania. At the European Council meeting on the 18th of October that followed, France formally vetoed the start of the negotiation process of North Macedonia and together with the Netherlands and Denmark the process of Albania. The French leader was met with fierce opposition as European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker called the results of the summit a “major historical error”.
According to Macron, the process of accession to the European Union needs substantial revision before negotiations can begin. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of North Macedonia expressed his disappointment about the French decision in a speech agreeing with Junker on the vital mistake that was made. In his speech he called for early elections because membership of the European Union was the key goal of his administration.
The Republic of Macedonia became a candidate for EU membership in 2005. Four years later the European Commission gave its permission to start formal negotiations, but a dispute with Greece over the country’s official name delayed the process. It took twenty-seven years to resolve this dispute. After the name change both the country and the European Union were optimistic about a joint future.
But Macron’s vision is clear: changes have to be made before a new country can enter the Union. In a document that was sent to the European Council France proposed a more “gradual” process for accession in which EU enlargement eventually becomes a long-term process after the bloc has seen the necessary reforms.
The methodology of the new proposal is based on seven successive stages, each stage opening up when the previous one is concluded. The document reaffirms the support for Brussel’s vision that both countries “belong to Europe, by virtue of their history, culture and geography”, but the process has to become a “gradual association”. It is clear that there is still a future for the Western Balkans as European Union members, but it needs to be via a new step-by-step method. The process will still be convergent with EU norms and standards. But if a country backslides, the European Union should be able to reverse the process to a previous stage.
The countries of the European Union must find unity again in this issue of accession. During the first talks about the proposed revitalisation of the Union’s enlargement policy, held the 20th of November in Brussels, the EU countries gave mixed reactions. Some agree with the initiative, while others say Macron’s intervention is counterproductive and undermining the credibility of the European Union.
The French president has generated a much-needed debate in the European Union about its future. The following days will shed more light on the issue as the countries need to come to a solution.
