European Council President Charles Michel today said European Union (EU) enlargement is the “cornerstone” of the community bloc’s “sovereignty strategy”, warning candidate countries and European institutions of “a lot of work to be done”. “.
“We must be ready – on both sides – by 2030 for expansion. For candidate countries, this means carrying out the necessary reforms and resolving all bilateral disputes. On the EU side, this means reforming our programs and budgets. and our decision-making,” emphasized Charles Michel.
In a statement released to mark the twentieth anniversary of the last major expansion of the Community bloc in 2004, the leader recalled that it was a “transformative event” for the European continent.
“For new members, joining our EU family has been a powerful incentive to greater prosperity, and their impressive GDP growth is the best proof,” he stressed.
According to Michel, the “great enlargement” has given the EU “more global influence”: “Our internal market is the largest in the world, and we have become the world’s second largest trading nation in goods, after China and ahead of the United States.” .
“This has given us more weight and a stronger position in international forums such as the G7 and G20. And more influence in promoting our democratic values and our social and environmental standards,” he said.
On May 1, 2004, ten new member countries joined the bloc: Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
Bulgaria and Romania later joined in 2007, followed by Croatia in 2013, and the UK left the EU in 2020, which now has 27 member states.
The European Council President recalled the “optimism of 2004” that “seems to have happened a long time ago” and warned that the EU is currently facing three major shocks, the first of which affects the natural world: climate change and biodiversity. ; second technology shock: digital revolution and artificial intelligence; and third, the shock of a chaotic geopolitical transition.
According to Charles Michel, the current world order is being undermined by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but this war “is not limited to the skies and trenches of Ukraine.”
“The EU, candidate countries and even Africa are being targeted by the Kremlin’s hybrid attacks. Migrants, money and fake news are used by Russia as weapons for destabilization. The Kremlin has a clear goal: to crush the European dream. What? Because the Kremlin is afraid of freedom and democracy on its doorstep,” he emphasized.
The European leader also stressed that the EU has a strategy to achieve “European sovereignty,” which means “becoming stronger, more influential and having more control” over its destiny.
Charles Michel noted that to implement this strategy it is necessary to build a “stronger and more competitive economy” or “increase defense readiness.”
“The test of our generation now is to make this Europe stronger, more sovereign, more influential, more integrated and even more united. We are on the threshold of another historical moment for our Union, we are meeting history, let’s accept it with both hands,” he concluded.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are official candidate countries. Kosovo submitted a request in 2022, but its independence was not recognized by five EU member states (Spain, Romania, Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus).
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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