As the European Commission is due to present its new methodology for the EU accession process on Wednesday, several sources confirmed to EUROPE on Tuesday 4 February that it would be close to the proposals made by France, which had called for the reform of the process (see EUROPE 12371/17).
Thus, according to the Macedonian news agency Mia, which published an unconsolidated draft on 31 January, the proposal would put forward four axes, which have been confirmed to EUROPE. These are credibility, political management, dynamism and predictability. Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has repeatedly highlighted these four axes to the press (see EUROPE 12405/19).
As regards predictability, the Commission proposes positive or negative conditionality, depending on the progress made, or the lack thereof. The principle of reversibility of the process which Paris wanted would thus be included.
Several sources have confirmed that the accession negotiation chapters would be grouped into clusters, as proposed by the French authorities. According to the Mia agency, there are six such centres, whereas France had proposed seven. These would be the 'core issues', including negotiating chapters 23 (justice and fundamental rights) and 24 (justice, freedom and security) (1), the internal market (2), competitiveness and inclusive growth (3), the green agenda and sustainable connectivity (4), resources, agriculture and cohesion (5) and finally foreign affairs (6).
On the other hand, although Paris proposed making the candidate countries eligible for Structural Funds, this idea is not present in the Commission's draft, so as not to offend the pro-enlargement countries, which are also the main beneficiaries of these funds, according to some sources.
This new methodology would not be imposed on Montenegro and Serbia, which have already started their EU accession negotiations.
The process was last revised in 2003. Laid out to Balkan ambassadors on Tuesday, the proposal will be presented to the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday and then to Member States' ambassadors.
The 10 proposals of the S&D Group
For its part, the S&D group in the European Parliament, represented by Kati Piri, the group's vice-chairwoman for foreign affairs from the Netherlands, and Tonino Picula from Croatia, who will be the European Parliament's rapporteur on the Zagreb summit, presented its ten proposals for the EU accession process for the Western Balkans on Monday 3 February.
According to this group, the process should ensure full membership of the EU and specify that "membership is - and remains - the ultimate goal". The approach must be based on merit, according to the S&D, which underlines the importance of focusing on the rule of law and the negotiations on Chapters 23 and 24.
Like France and the Commission, the Social Democrats propose a regrouping of negotiation chapters in policy areas, but with the possibility of having several blocks open in parallel without having to close one to open another. Similarly, the S&D Group supports Paris and the Commission on strengthening the process through stronger and more effective political governance.
The Social Democrat family supports progressive access to EU policies and financial instruments. It also wants to develop a Green New Deal in the Western Balkans and promote socio-economic cohesion even before accession. In their view, the benefits of the new approach should apply to Serbia and Montenegro.
Finally, as was the case for the Convention on the Future of Europe in 2002, the S&D would like the candidate countries to be able to take part in the Conference on the Future of Europe, an exercise in citizen dialogue that should last 2 years.
See S&D Group proposals: http://bit.ly/398L2zO (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)