The EU enlargement is high on the political agenda for some time now, but the EU is not ready yet to welcome new members, neither institutionally nor policy wise. A so called working group on EU institutional reforms was invited in January 2023 by the French and German governments. In September 2023 ‘The Group of Twelve’ submitted the results of its work with this report.
Recognising the complexity of aligning diverse Member States’ visions for the EU, the report recommends a flexible EU reform and enlargement process. It highlights the need for immediate action to improve the EU’s functionality, proposing a list of initial steps before the next European elections. More substantial reforms – including preparations for treaty revisions – should be implemented during the new legislative term (2024 to 2029).
The report’s recommendations should achieve three goals: increasing the EU’s capacity to act, getting the EU enlargement ready, and which is on top of the priorities strengthen the rule of law and the EU’s democratic legitimacy. The report is structured into three main sections, dealing with the rule of law, institutional reforms, and the process to reform, deepen and enlarge the EU.
Recognising the complexity of aligning diverse Member States’ visions for the EU, the report recommends a flexible EU reform and enlargement process. It highlights the need for immediate action to improve the EU’s functionality, proposing a list of initial steps before the next European elections. More substantial reforms – including preparations for treaty revisions – should be implemented during the new legislative term (2024 to 2029).
The report’s recommendations should achieve three goals: increasing the EU’s capacity to act, getting the EU enlargement ready, and which is on top of the priorities strengthen the rule of law and the EU’s democratic legitimacy. The report is structured into three main sections, dealing with the rule of law, institutional reforms, and the process to reform, deepen and enlarge the EU.
