From Bystanders to Contributors - A Realistic Way Towards Candidates’ Participation in the EU Council
From Bystanders to Contributors - A Realistic Way Towards Candidates’ Participation in the EU Council

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić
Subject(s): Politics, Governance, Government/Political systems, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: Centar za evropske politike CEP
Keywords: EU; Council; candidates; participation; bystanders; policy;
Summary/Abstract: Guided by the aim to unlock the political will necessary to implement reforms and expedite the next enlargement, CEP has advocated, as part of the Staged Accession Model, 1 for the gradual, merit-based opening of EU institutions to EU candidates. Using the level of achieved reforms as a basis for rewards, institutional incentives were intended to work in tandem with financial incentives that entailed increasing but conditioning funds that would be available to candidates. The proposal for increasing EU funds was designed to reduce the socio-economic convergence gap between the Western Balkans and the EU and encourage the development of domestic absorption capacities of candidate countries. The institutional incentives were intended to enable candidates to engage in discussions with member states’ officials on mainstream EU policy issues, socialise with their EU peers and gradually develop their administrations’ capacities to assume membership responsibilities. Such a proposed integration framework was subsequently reflected in the European Council’s 2022 June Conclusions on gradual integration, indicating a readiness of EU institutions and member states to innovate the enlargement toolbox. However, unlike the financial incentives which have been incorporated into the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, the institutional incentives remain largely under-operationalised to date. The European Commission and the European Parliament have recently expressed willingness to open their doors to candidates’ participation, while the European Economic and Social Council (EESC) has already involved civil society organisations from candidate countries in its work. Yet, the Council of the EU has so far done little to engage with the candidates.

• Details
• Contents