European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, has dismissed a proposal put forward by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who called for the acceleration of candidate countries’ integration into the EU Single Market and the Schengen Area without granting them veto rights. The Serbian newspaper Nova.rs reports that Kos emphasized the complexity and challenges of the reform process required for EU accession.
Speaking in an interview with Politico, Kos stated that she is not sure whether Vučić and Rama fully understand the requirements necessary for participation in Schengen or the Single Market. She noted that the path to EU membership is challenging both economically and politically, requiring sustained reform efforts.
Kos also highlighted that the European Commission has already outlined three main options for its future enlargement policy. She underlined that progress cannot occur without the approval of EU member states and stressed that the EU would need to adapt its rules to allow a new wave of memberships. Commissioner Kos further encouraged member states that do not support the Commission’s enlargement ideas to propose alternative plans.
According to Euractiv, citing unofficial sources, the European Commission is reviewing three key options for the future enlargement policy:
- Maintain the existing system – no major changes to the current accession framework.
- Gradual integration – candidate countries join various EU initiatives and programs without formal membership.
- Phased (reversible) integration – rapid formal accession, followed by continued implementation of required reforms.
Kos noted that the third option, phased integration, would constitute a “revolution” and is currently unacceptable, while maintaining the status quo is also not considered a viable option.
In their joint interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Vučić and Rama had called for faster integration of candidate countries into the Single Market and Schengen Area without granting them veto rights, arguing that this would address the concerns of EU member states that are cautious about further enlargement. They emphasized that reforms within the EU may be necessary to ensure that an expanded EU remains capable of decisive action, pointing to concerns in capitals such as Paris and Berlin over decision-making, institutional balance, and political cohesion.
Kos’ statements underscore the EU’s insistence that enlargement must follow established rules and procedures, emphasizing that any acceleration requires careful adherence to reform benchmarks and consensus among member states.
