Enlargement and the Rule of Law: Diverging Realities

Summary:

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, enlargement once again became a priority for the European Union, after a long hiatus. But since the EU resuscitated the enlargement process in the summer of 2022, most of the ten candidate and potential candidate countries had made little headway on implementing the domestic reforms necessary to join the EU. The Commission’s enlargement reports, published in late October 2024, painted a discouraging picture, especially when it came to the rule of law and democracy. Several candidates showed limited progress, and some were even backsliding on reforms related to the rule of law.

The disconnect between the EU’s official reports and public statements by EU leaders calling for a speedy process was unsustainable. If the EU was to enlarge in the following decade – and especially if progress was to take place by 2030 – it needed to reform the process of welcoming new candidates and provide more support to bolster fragile democracies.

• Alternative Source 1

ESO Records

European Commission: COM (2024) 690: 2024 Communication on EU enlargement policy https://www.europeansources.info/record/2024-communication-on-eu-enlargement-policy/

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