The European Parliament is calling for the acceleration of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The announcement was made by MEP Siegfried Muresan after the European legislature adopted its position on the European Union enlargement policy.
According to him, the decision comes in the context of the current geopolitical situation, with EU enlargement seen as an essential tool for strengthening security in the region.
“Only with Moldova and Ukraine stable and anchored in the European path can we guarantee the long-term security of the EU’s eastern flank,” Mureșan said.
The MEP noted that the European Parliament adopted its position on the EU’s enlargement policy, with the document containing several recommendations addressed to the Council of the European Union.
“Today, the European Parliament adopted our position on the European Union’s enlargement policy,” Mureșan wrote.
According to the document, MEPs are urging the Council of the EU to accelerate accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine, including by officially opening negotiations on clusters rather than keeping them only at the technical level.
“The accession process must be merit-based. If a country has fulfilled the accession conditions, it should not be held back for political reasons,” the MEP added.
At the same time, the European legislature supports the idea that accession negotiations should be accompanied by the gradual integration of candidate countries into the European Union.
“The accession process should move in parallel with the gradual integration of candidate states into the EU. In this way, citizens of candidate countries will be able to feel the benefits of the EU even before accession,” Mureșan said.
The issue of EU enlargement has been discussed increasingly in Brussels amid the current geopolitical situation. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, recently stated that the EU must move faster to include new members, mentioning Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Montenegro among the candidate states.