EU's António Costa Advocates for Streamlined Membership Process Ahead of Western Balkans Summit
Costa backs simpler EU accession rules ahead of Western Balkans summit

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António Costa, President of the European Council, supports simplifying EU accession rules to expedite the membership process for Western Balkan countries. He emphasizes the need for reduced decision-making hurdles and suggests addressing bilateral issues independently to enhance integration efforts.
- 01Costa proposes reducing the number of votes required for EU accession decisions to streamline the process.
- 02He believes unanimity should only be necessary for closing chapters of the accession process, not for opening them.
- 03The upcoming summit in Montenegro includes leaders from the EU and Western Balkan nations, focusing on integration strategies.
- 04A Franco-German non-paper suggests new momentum for enlargement by simplifying rules and providing incentives for candidate countries.
- 05Costa remains optimistic about Ukraine's EU membership negotiations, suggesting that several chapters could be opened and closed simultaneously.
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António Costa, President of the European Council, has called for a simplification of the EU's accession rules to expedite the membership process for Western Balkan nations, emphasizing the need to demonstrate seriousness about their EU aspirations. Speaking from Tivat, Montenegro, where an EU-Western Balkans summit is set to take place, Costa highlighted the cumbersome nature of the current methodology, which requires over 40 votes for decisions. He suggested that unanimity should only be necessary for closing chapters of the accession process, allowing for more flexibility in opening them. Costa also proposed addressing bilateral issues between candidate countries independently to prevent delays. The summit will include discussions on new strategies for integration, with Costa expressing optimism about Ukraine's membership negotiations. A Franco-German non-paper aims to inject new momentum into the enlargement process by simplifying rules and offering incentives for gradual integration of candidate countries. The choice of Montenegro as the summit location underscores its status as a frontrunner for EU membership, potentially becoming the 28th member state soon.
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The proposed simplification of EU accession rules could significantly accelerate the integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU, impacting their political and economic landscape.
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