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Tuesday, 13 October 2026dailybeirut.com
World
The European Commission plans to propose in September a reform eliminating member states’ veto right over new EU accessions, alongside revised candidate criteria and voting rules.
The European Commission is preparing to unveil in September a comprehensive reform of the European Union’s enlargement policy, according to Bloomberg. The proposal would abolish the existing veto power held by individual member states when decisions are made on admitting new countries into the bloc.
The reform extends beyond altering the voting mechanism. It also entails a full review of the eligibility criteria and accession requirements applied to candidate countries. These standards govern political, economic, and legal conditions that aspirants must meet before joining the EU.
Bloomberg reported that the pace of EU expansion has significantly decelerated in recent years due to internal disagreements among member states. Several countries have repeatedly deployed their veto as a tool of leverage—either to delay or block accession processes, particularly for Western Balkan nations.
Adoption of the reform would require unanimous approval from all 27 EU member states. That threshold raises concerns among some governments about diminished influence over future enlargement outcomes, potentially triggering debate across the bloc.
The revised system aims explicitly to prevent procedural deadlock and political coercion. Under the current framework, certain member states have used the veto to exert pressure either on candidate countries or on fellow EU members during negotiations.
The draft reform is scheduled to be formally presented to EU member states and debated in the European Parliament by the end of next month—September.
In 2025, Western Balkan countries—as well as Ukraine and Moldova—were granted official candidate status for EU membership. Yet formal accession negotiations have progressed slowly. Hungary and other member states have obstructed specific stages of the process on multiple occasions.
Earlier, the EU had launched accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. However, those negotiations stalled amid demands for domestic reforms and persistent political disagreements within the Union itself.
