Carolin Etstadler told Euronews that two countries, Montenegro and Albania, could join the bloc by 2030.
advertisement
Austria's European minister told Euronews that the EU should admit Montenegro and Albania as member states by 2030 and that the European Commission would encourage other candidate countries through a “gradual enlargement”.
Caroline Edstadler was speaking on the sidelines of Forum Alpbach, an annual policy conference in the state of Tyrol, where she took part in a panel discussion on EU enlargement.
“I think there will be 29 EU member states by 2030. Montenegro will join in 2028 and Albania in 2030. I have seen first-hand how committed and ambitious both countries are to this process,” Ed Stadler told Euronews, after visiting both countries in April.
“The rise of nationalism in candidate countries, especially in the Western Balkans, can be countered, but only if we provide incentives, and this should be done through gradual integration,” she said.
Gradual enlargement means that aspiring countries are offered the partial benefits of EU membership as they overcome certain conditions, rather than an “all or nothing” approach that benefits only those countries that fully join.
“For example, where a series of chapters have been closed but full integration is still pending, the EU should grant access in stages to reflect the completed chapters, particularly with regard to the single market such as SEPA,” Ed Stadler said, referring to the existing EU system that allows for uniform payments between banks.
“This way they have a sense of already being there,” she said.
Another measure, Etstadler said, would be to encourage candidate countries to meet more frequently in Brussels, so their politicians could directly inform their citizens about the process.
“I am confident that this concept of gradual integration will be adopted by the next commission as there is no other option than the accession process,” she said.
Lithuania's incoming European Commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, also recommended a gradual expansion in an interview with Euronews.
In an interview, Kubilius, who served twice as Lithuania's prime minister, returned to the enlargement ideas of the early 2000s and stressed the geopolitical reasons for all 10 countries to join the EU at the same time.
“Some think we should enter the single market first and then follow all the other provisions, the so-called progressive or phased integration,” he said.
