Politico: EU preparing economic benefits for candidate countries before full membership

A new scheme being drafted by the European Commission aims to give European Union candidate countries some economic benefits even before full accession to the bloc, with the goal of accelerating enlargement and encouraging reforms.

Under this plan, candidate states could gradually gain access to EU funding programs, preferential trade agreements, and partial entry into the European single market, depending on the progress they show in reforms and alignment with EU legislation.

Unlike earlier ideas, which envisaged granting certain political rights before membership and which met resistance from member states, the new approach focuses only on economic benefits, without granting candidate countries full political status within the bloc.

This initiative has received broader political support, especially from France and Germany, which see gradual integration as a way to keep candidate countries engaged on the path of reforms, even if full membership remains several years away.

The European Commission aims to secure this framework with the support of member state governments at European Council meetings expected to be held in October or December. The benefits will be granted individually in each case, based on the progress of each candidate country.

The plan is emerging at a time when the European Union is trying to speed up enlargement, particularly after Russian aggression against Ukraine, but without compromising on membership criteria. One of the main goals is to ensure that countries such as Ukraine and Moldova remain engaged in the process through concrete benefits along the path to membership.

At present, the European Union has nine candidate countries. Montenegro is seen as closest to membership, while Ukraine and Moldova have opened negotiations. On the other hand, the progress of Serbia, Turkey, and Georgia has remained sluggish.

In parallel, the European Commission is also working on new safeguard mechanisms that would allow intervention if countries joining in the future were to drift away from democratic standards or the rule of law after entering the EU, with the aim of protecting the integrity of the enlargement process.

Since the Commission’s previous proposals for “reverse enlargement” failed to win the support of EU countries, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said it is now up to governments to decide how the debate should proceed.

Among the leaders pushing forward alternative approaches is German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had planned to raise the issue at last week’s European Council summit.

A diplomat involved in the talks said officials were trying to make up for a “lost decade” of enlargement reform, while at the same time facing resistance from governments seeking guarantees that candidate countries will complete meaningful reforms before joining.

Earlier this month, Kos told Politico that the Commission is also preparing new safeguard measures that would “dig in” if future member states backslide on democracy or the rule of law after accession, as another effort to reassure governments that the bloc can speed up enlargement without weakening its own standards.