Austria, Czechia, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia called on the European Commission to present “proposals” aimed at advancing the gradual integration of countries candidate for accession to the EU into the single market, given that “attractive incentives are needed” in order to motivate the implementation of “irreversible reforms” and that “gradual integration has proven to be a useful instrument for counteracting reform fatigue”.
“Merit-based access – if necessary, step by step – to the European single market represents such an incentive, speeding up economic integration and regulatory convergence, while safeguarding the long-term prospect of full EU membership”, they argue, according to a recently circulated non-paper sent to all EU Member States and seen by Agence Europe. They insist that gradual integration into the key sectors of the single market should be regarded “as an intermediate step towards full European integration and be systematically pursued” as soon as a candidate country “demonstrates a high level of alignment with the EU acquis in the relevant sector and a robust and credible implementation of the rule of law”.
In this context, they call on the European Commission to “present proposals for concrete sectorial integration into the European single market, including clear procedures for assessing whether a candidate has achieved a high level of preparedness in the relevant chapters as well as safeguards in case of major setbacks”.
According to them, areas that could be the subject of sectoral integration include full implementation of “green lanes”, accelerated integration into the energy and electricity markets as well as integration into the digital single market, the transport and logistics sectors, European competitiveness and industrial strategies, European policies on critical raw materials, implementation of Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAAs), extension of access to authorised economic operator (AEO) status to candidate countries, as well as facilitating youth mobility on the model of the ‘Youth Experience Scheme’ with United Kingdom.
This approach, they state, “would expand and strengthen the single market, contributing to the EU’s geoeconomic significance and strategic autonomy while drawing candidate countries closer and helping to counter the influence of third countries”. Gradual integration should also “continue to be actively promoted across all other EU policy areas”, in particular as regards common foreign and security policy as well as gradual institutional integration.
At the last informal General Affairs Council in Nicosia, the Commissioner for Budget, Piotr Serafin, said that there was “broad support” among Member States in favour of the principle of gradual integration of candidate countries (see EUROPE 13866/5).
According to European sources, Spain, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia have also expressed their interest in deepening cooperation with candidate countries in the single market area. At an informal meeting, Romania, Poland and the Netherlands suggested more cooperation on defence and security; Greece, Poland and Italy highlighted particular interest in infrastructure and connectivity, while countries such as Croatia, Ireland, but also Poland, Romania and Greece mentioned the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), according to European sources. Deepening cooperation in digital, competitiveness and transport sectors was also mentioned.
Integration is not a new concept. For example, Moldova and Ukraine joined the EU’s free roaming area on the 1st of January 2026, while Western Balkan countries are currently benefiting from reduced data roaming charges under a voluntary agreement between major telecommunication operators since October 2023.
As regards payment services, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Moldova and Serbia have been integrated into the geographical scope of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) schemes, thereby paving the way for simpler and less costly transfers in Europe. In December 2025, three bilateral agreements were signed between Albania, Moldova and North Macedonia and Greece, Bulgaria and Italy in order to strengthen customs cooperation, with aim of reducing waiting times at border posts and facilitating transport of goods. (Original version in French by Ana Pisonero Hernández)