Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, has called for a significant streamlining of the European Union’s accession procedures for new members. Speaking from Titograd, Montenegro, ahead of a meeting involving EU and Western Balkan leaders, Costa stated that the bloc must accelerate its enlargement process to demonstrate commitment to the aspirations of its Western Balkan partners. Costa specifically addressed the current methodology, which has frequently been criticized for its complexity and for generating considerable frustration across the region, where some nations have awaited progress toward membership for nearly two decades.
He argued that the existing system is overly bureaucratic. “Currently, we have to vote more than 40 times throughout the entire process,” Costa noted. To address these hurdles, Costa proposed concrete ways to simplify the current framework.
He suggested that the EU should review and overhaul the established procedures to make the path to membership more direct and predictable. The goal, according to the President, is to remove procedural bottlenecks that have stalled progress. The emphasis from Costa is that while the EU remains committed to integration, the process itself requires substantial reform.
By proposing measures to simplify the rules, Costa aims to provide greater assurance to the candidate countries, signaling a more tangible and rapid trajectory toward eventual EU membership.
Topics: #costa #must #simplify
Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, has advocated for the acceleration and simplification of the European Union’s accession processes for prospective member states. Speaking in Titograd,
What specific reforms does Costa propose for simplifying the EU membership process?