It is impossible to imagine that the European Union will be without Ukraine, Moldova, the Western Balkans, and that these parts of Europe will be under the influence of Russia or China. We should now think about what the EU will be like when these countries become part of it.
This was stated by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at a press conference.
During the press conference following the visit of the College of the European Commission to Spain, which presides over the EU, Ursula von der Leyen noted that the further expansion of the European bloc will require institutional reforms.
"We have to find an answer to the fundamental questions: what will the decision-making process and the use of joint funding look like, how will the directions of the joint policy be formed, and what should be the power that its citizens want to see in Europe. All these changes will take time, so consider them it is needed now," said the head of the European Commission.
Federalization of the European Union
In turn, the Prime Minister of Spain, which took over the presidency of the EU on July 1, Pedro Sanchez said that the issue of the expansion of the European Union is already under consideration. In his opinion, countries should move towards greater EU federalization and form more common policies, and Europeans should find an answer to the question of how they want to see the European Union in 4-10 years.
"Mainly, we are talking about the transformation of our society, about digital changes and urgent climate problems. We have to answer the main question - how do we want to see our European Union? From my point of view, it should be a more federal European Union," - said Sanchez.
Accession of Ukraine to the EU
Since 2022, Ukraine is a candidate for joining the European Union and must fulfill a number of conditions in order to obtain membership. European Commissioner Oliver Varhei stated at the end of June that Ukraine has already fulfilled 2 of the 7 recommendations of the European Commission for the start of accession negotiations.
According to the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, the European Union should prepare for Ukraine's accession and resolve sensitive issues regarding reforms. Ukraine expects that accession negotiations will begin by the end of 2023.
