Brussels, 08/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle laid great emphasis on the credibility of the enlargement process, as he presented the progress reports on the candidate and potentially candidate countries on Wednesday 8 October.
The process, he said, is credible and brings concrete results thanks to reforms which gradually transform the countries concerned, improving the stability of the immediate neighbourhood. He said that the accession of Croatia to the EU was further proof of the transformative powers of the enlargement process and it credibility.
The process itself has to be credible, he said. “Once an enlargement country delivers on the necessary reforms, we deliver on its European perspective. Thus, credibility works both ways. Given the recent developments in the East of our continent, it is more vital than ever that the European Union stays true to this principle”, he told MEPs, in a sense thumbing his nose at incoming Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. He said that enlargement was now even more of a political project than when he took office five years ago.
The continuity of the European Commission has to be ensured, he said, stating that his successor, Johannes Hahn, had been his neighbour for five years and, so, knew his positions. Füle stressed that it was up to the new Commission, which is due to take office on 1 November, and the countries to determine how history will be written. He said he was confident and predicted that the process would continue and would enjoy great success.
Juncker has stated that there will be no further enlargement in the coming five years but negotiations will continue. In The Economist, Füle described this statement as controversial and populist.
There are six candidate countries for accession to the EU - Serbia, Montenegro and Turkey, which have opened their accession talks, Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Iceland (which has mothballed its accession talks). Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are potential candidates. (CG)