EU enlargement policy as a driver for stability and prosperity – a BusinessEurope position paper

Key messages

• In an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, the EU must reinvigorate its enlargement policy as a tool for stability, prosperity and growth in Europe. It is important that the enlargement of the EU contributes to the competitiveness of Europe and the functioning of the Single Market. In this respect, enlargement policy should maintain a merit-based approach, entrenched on the fulfilment of the Copenhagen criteria and with a clear focus on the fundamentals cluster. This is important to maintain the credibility and effectiveness of the enlargement process.
• Enlargement policy should focus on ensuring that candidate countries are ready to take up their role and full responsibilities as EU Member States by adopting and implementing the EU acquis, as much as on making sure that the EU and its institutions are prepared for an enlarged membership. To this end, the discussion launched by the European Commission’s Communication on pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews should accelerate and involve all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector.
• Specifically, BusinessEurope calls for:
  The development of a framework that will allow the gradual integration of candidate countries in the Single Market, EU projects and programmes in a mutually beneficial way that safeguards the integrity of the Single Market.
  The consideration of the EU’s enlargement policy in the discussions around the development of the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
  A discussion on enhancing the EU’s governance and decisionmaking capacity, taking into account the challenges that an enlarged EU may bring in this respect and the possibility to use qualified majority voting in parts of the enlargement process.