EU to
offer single-market access to candidate countries
Economic
benefits would be conditional and can be taken away if non-members backslide on
democracy or share sensitive tech with unfriendly governments, the plan says.
September
30, 2026 10:39 am CET
By
Gabriel Gavin
BRUSSELS
— The European Union will open its vast economy to countries waiting to join
its ranks, provided they agree to stand with the bloc against hostile states
and industrial rivals, according to a draft European Commission proposal
obtained by POLITICO.
Candidate
countries — some of which have been waiting decades to become EU members — will
be offered unprecedented "gradual integration" into the single
market, including frictionless trade and access to research programs, while
their applications are being worked on, according to the draft plan.
"The
single market is the first priority for economic convergence," reads a
review of the "pre-enlargement" benefits to be offered to candidate
countries.
"Earlier
integration would open opportunities for Union businesses, strengthen European
value chains and reduce strategic dependencies. The Commission will identify
where verified regulatory alignment and enforcement capacity allow deeper
participation in research, innovation and industrial cooperation, and wider
market access. Priority should go to opportunities that advance accession
preparations and meet shared economic and strategic needs."
The
review, overseen by top von der Leyen advisor Alexandre Adam — a former aide to
French President Emmanuel Macron — would radically overhaul the EU's approach
to countries in its neighborhood. At present, almost all economic benefits of
closer cooperation are reserved for members, but no new state has joined since
Croatia in 2013.
As part
of Adam's package of measures, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro will be
offered "road maps" designed to speed up the process of joining in
the coming years. Others, like North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Serbia and Turkey, have seen the process drag on — with fears growing that they
will become disengaged or gravitate closer to Russia or China.
Under the
Commission's plan, economic benefits offered to candidate countries will depend
on their support for the EU's foreign policy objectives, with single market
access depending on them not sharing key technologies with hostile states and
trade rivals.
"As
industrial and market integration deepens, participation in sensitive sectors
must be accompanied by cooperation on investment screening, export controls,
sanctions implementation and the protection of sensitive technologies,"
the review document reads.
"Assessments
of access should consider strategic alignment, critical dependencies and the
capacity to manage risks to infrastructure and supply chains. Where those
conditions are not met, the scope of participation should be adjusted under the
applicable instrument."
Among the
areas being considered for closer cooperation are semiconductors, quantum
technologies, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and space.
In the
waiting room
Von der
Leyen touches down in Albania for talks on Wednesday as part of her tour of the
Western Balkans. She'll also visit Kosovo and North Macedonia, which will miss
out on an expedited pathway to join the EU under the new plan, and will use her
visit to demand economic benefits of closer alignment.
"Gradual
integration should be tangible for our citizens and businesses," Kosovo's
prime minister, Albin Kurti, told POLITICO. "We want greater access to the
EU single market, European funding and financial schemes, and joint programs in
areas such as energy, digitalization, research, education and
infrastructure."
"We
support gradual integration, but it must be a pathway to full EU membership,
not a parallel process or a substitute for it. Kosova is ready to do its
part," Kurti added.
According
to the review, the ultimate goal of candidate countries should be becoming full
EU members. "Accession, however, takes time: candidate countries must
complete a rigorous, merit-based process and deliver far-reaching and lasting
reforms," it reads. "That time should be put to full strategic use to
both prepare the Union for a larger membership and deepen gradual integration
in areas of mutual interest."
However,
the benefits will depend on the countries doing their part: "Where these
obligations are not fulfilled, participation must remain reversible. Access
should be suspended or withdrawn where warranted," the proposal warns.
Internal
changes
Current
EU members have expressed concern about the prospect of admitting new countries
to the bloc that could then renege on their commitments and upend key policies.
Under its former prime minister, Viktor Orbán, Hungary used its veto to block
sanctions on Russia and support for Ukraine.
Adam's
review — due to be presented to top officials on Oct. 6 when von der Leyen
returns from the Western Balkans — will propose new conditions on those that
join the bloc to ensure they don't backslide on democracy and the rule of law.
"The
accession process must establish more than legal alignment," it reads.
"Institutions must work in practice and reforms must endure. Monitoring,
incentives and enforcement should therefore form a continuous framework
extending beyond accession."
But the
EU will also change to accommodate a broader membership, going far beyond the
club of wealthy Western European democracies it was initially conceived as. The
bloc can change its rules to be less vulnerable to individual members' whims,
the review concludes, without having to reopen fundamental articles of EU law
and potentially triggering national referendums across the bloc.
"The
Commission supports Treaty change where necessary, but it considers that
measures already available under the Treaties should be taken forward
now," it concludes. Among the options being considered is a move to ensure
more decisions can be made with a qualified majority of member countries on
board.
"Qualified-majority
voting is already the general rule under the Treaties, but unanimity remains in
several strategically important areas. As membership grows, the risk of delay
or blockage will likely increase," it reads.
So-called
passerelle clauses, which allow decisions to be taken by majority vote rather
than unanimously, could be used to smooth the passage of sanctions, responses
to human rights crises and the deployment of civilian missions to conflict
zones, the review says. However, these clauses require unanimous support of
member countries to be activated in the first place.
Leaders
from across the EU will be asked to weigh in on the discussion about how to
bring new members into the bloc — and what to offer those still waiting — at a
two-day summit in Brussels from Oct. 15.
Von der
Leyen's enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, has said that the new proposals,
combined with support from capitals to accelerate the process, offer the chance
for an “autumn of enlargement” in which unprecedented changes can be made.
Zoya
Sheftalovich contributed to this report.
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