"We are already accelerating the
process, especially with Ukraine, we are working two or three
times faster in the European Union. But we have to distinguish
between the technical part of the process and the political
part." This was said by EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos at
the Munich Security Conference. When it comes to the technical
one, we could, let's say, finish with Montenegro and Albania by
the end of 2026 or 27. But there is the political part, which
means that no major step can happen without the will of the
member states. So that's where I see the possibilities today:
for the technical part I'm responsible for, we can do a lot, not
only for Ukraine, also for the Western Balkan countries. But we
can really talk, and we are talking with the member states,
about what we can do. It is merit-based the technical part. But
there is also politics, political will," he explained.
"Enlargement may be the most important political element of
security guarantees," Kos continued. "Enlargement today is not
only influenced by what the United States is doing, it is
influenced by geopolitics.
When my country, Slovenia, entered the EU, if I simplified,
it was quite easy in the sense that if a country met the
criteria, it could enter. Later it became more difficult in the
sense that member states have to go deeper. But today we have a
specific situation, we have disruptive external forces that
would like to see us fail. So it's clear, the priority -- I
wouldn't just talk about enlargement -- is the unification of
Europe, that's why it's becoming more and more important. Today
we somehow go back to the roots for which the EU was
established: it was established to preserve peace, freedom,
security, prosperity. And this is the most decisive element, but
this is also the strength of the EU," she concluded.
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