Partial integration into the EU before full membership! Marta Kos praises Albania’s progress: I am optimistic

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos says candidate countries that meet the criteria in certain areas can benefit from partial integration into the European Union even before full membership. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Kos said the idea of gradual integration is gaining ever more importance at a time when the geopolitical situation requires candidate countries to be brought closer to the EU more quickly. According to her, the merit-based accession process takes time, but that does not mean candidate countries should wait until full membership to benefit from certain opportunities offered by the European Union.

‘If we want to achieve our goal — and our goal is a secure and stable Europe based on European values — then through the so-called pre-accession review, whose results will be published on October 6 and partly discussed at this summit, we will try to identify together with the member states the areas in which candidate countries that need more time can be offered more of Europe even before full membership. This is not a substitute for membership. It is simply a way for a candidate country that meets the criteria for integration in certain areas to benefit from partial integration even before becoming a full member, because the merit-based process takes time,’ Commissioner Kos said.

She illustrated the claim with the example of the existing CEPA, which also includes the Western Balkan countries, Moldova and Ukraine. ‘We will soon also offer the Western Balkan countries the benefits of roaming. These are areas that are normally available only to member states, but they show what we can do. And there are many more similar opportunities,’ Kos said.

The Commissioner stressed that she remains optimistic about the prospects for the enlargement of the European Union. ‘Yes, I am optimistic about enlargement. This year is truly the year of enlargement, and especially this autumn, which has just begun, will be the autumn of enlargement. Why? Because during the first nine months of this year we have opened or closed more negotiating chapters than in any other year of the last 25 years. For the first time since Croatia’s accession in 2013, we have Montenegro with a real prospect of becoming an EU member. Albania is also progressing very well, while for Moldova and Ukraine we hope to open all the chapter clusters within this year. These are the countries that are leading the process, and I think we have not seen such momentum since Croatia joined the European bloc,’ Kos said.