MEP Gyöngyösi: Can further enlargement ent the EU as we know it?

A few days ago, the European Commission released its proposal suggesting that the European Union should start accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova and, under certain restrictions, with Bosnia-Herzegovina as well.

However, the enlargement once again raises the long unanswered question: how long can the EU keep accepting more and more members without having to thoroughly reconsider its operation?

While the integration of the Western Balkans and certain Eastern European countries is obviously more and more of a pressing issue, the EU’s mechanisms and decision making processes, originally designed for a few western states, are increasingly cumbersome.

Even with just 27 member states, the EU is already too complicated, sometimes even dysfunctional, so the accession of more and more members, often with very different political and cultural norms than the West, may lead to the community becoming impracticable. On the other hand, the idea of the two- or multi-speed Europe, typically voiced in France, would upset the very foundations of the community. Although it may seem logical to create a watered-down membership for problematic countries while continuing to deepen the integration of the rich western states that are already on a converging path, this system would be an utter denial of the united Europe idea that formed the basis for creating the EU.

I am convinced this cannot be the solution. If you want to be a member of the European Union, you have no choice but to accept the community’s norms, which include the EU’s intellectual foundations that promote democracy and European integration. 

The multi-speed Europe is pointless, because it would be the denial of Europe. Enlargement is important and desirable, but enlargement at all costs is harmful. What makes Europe more than most of the world’s other international cooperative alliances is that it does not tolerate corrupt regimes or politicians who trample upon democratic norms. The accession of Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina is to be supported, but these countries first need to meet all the requirements that the EU has always set for its members.

Disclaimer: the sole liability for the opinions stated rests with the author(s). These opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Parliament.