Marta Kos: No EU candidate country has had, or can have, guarantees during the accession process

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos stressed that so far no country seeking membership in the European Union (EU) has received guarantees, and that such a guarantee cannot be given that no new bilateral dispute will emerge during the negotiations.

On the eve of her official visit to North Macedonia tomorrow, she underlined that the only path for continuing European integration remains the implementation of the commitments undertaken, as well as the inclusion of Bulgarians in the Constitution.

“In my experience, such trust is built mainly on two elements: fulfilling obligations and the attitude of candidate countries toward the EU and its member states. This begins with good neighborly relations. When mutual trust grows, the accession process becomes more secure. I am convinced this would also be the case for North Macedonia. The truth is that no candidate country has ever received a guarantee that another dispute will not arise during the accession process until the last member state ratifies the accession treaty. This is how EU enlargement works. It is important to accept this reality,” Kos said in an interview with AIM.

She also said today that this autumn the European Commission will present new ways to bring candidate countries closer to the EU before membership.