EU enlargement is realistic possibility in the coming years – Kos
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has said that she believes that enlargement of the European Union in the coming years is realistic.
She expressed this opinion on Tuesday in Brussels, presenting the Enlargement Package at a meeting of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
"Enlargement can only be successful if it strengthens our Union. To achieve this goal, we need more progress in two main areas. The first area is that future Member States must fully prepare for the responsibilities of Member States, and the second is that we must prepare our Union for an enlarged EU. These go hand in hand. Given the pace of successful (progress on) enlargement of some candidate countries, and this is really my day today, this is a realistic possibility in the coming years," she said.
According to the European Commissioner, the candidate countries have ambitious goals. "Montenegro wants to conclude the negotiations by the end of the 26th. Albania by the end of the 27th. Moldova and Ukraine by 2028. For me, ambition is more important than years or dates, and the Commission supports these ambitions. This year I can say that these four candidates have confirmed their ambitions with concrete actions," Kos stated.
Speaking about Ukraine, she noted that "against the challenges posed by Russian aggression, Ukraine has demonstrated its commitment to the EU path by moving forward with key reforms." "The steps already taken lay the foundation for recovery and open up space for greater private sector involvement. It is important to maintain this momentum and prevent any risk of regression, in particular in the fight against corruption," Kos added.