Enlargement: How to Do It Without Undermining the EU’s Internal Cohesion?

The starting point is that, among the changes the European Union needs to undertake, enlarging it to include countries on the continent that want to join is vital. However, it will be a tremendously difficult journey that requires both perseverance and substantial, strategically applied development intelligence from the EU. The first cluster of changes needed are reform steps of the EU itself; in that I have identified, reaching out heavily to the findings of the French–German Working Group on EU Institutional Reform, strengthening budgetary conditionality and simplifying the Article 7 procedure of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) up to the point of making it easier to exclude member states that systematically violate EU values and functional principles. Moreover, profound changes to the disbursement mechanisms of the EU’s structural funds are needed to prevent the emergence of undemocratic and illiberal governments. While it is welcome that countries seeking to join can initiate the process, the EU will need to incorporate substantially more input from the best of developmental science, particularly where it relies heavily on institutional economics. The EU should recognise and incorporate into its process that these countries still need to undertake deep systemic reforms towards a liberal state. It takes precedence over the acquis communautaire’s mechanical adaptation, particularly since informality plays a key role in the political economy of the applicant countries. We need to prioritise specific areas in the process; the 35 chapters are not equally significant for achieving systemic reform. The reality of the rule of law lies not only in adopting the EU’s legal provisions but also in their effective implementation. While process morale needs to be high, haste is not advisable. The process should be deliberative, with strict conditionality and strong support to ensure it is achieved. In this context, transitional lighter regulations will be needed during the reform period, which may coincide with the EU’s overall simplification drive, as the Draghi report rightly advocates. While the EU should be the centre of the process, it should be helped by other integration platforms, particularly NATO. The European Political Community should adopt substantive content that supports the integration process. Backsliding is possible during the process, and the EU needs to be prepared to respond.