Leaders of European countries have recognized the EU enlargement process as an investment in the peace, prosperity, and stability of the entire European continent, according to a declaration following the summit in Granada. Therefore, candidate countries should increase their efforts and pass required legislative and procedural reforms, and the EU must carry out its internal measures.
The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, noted that the EU has delayed expansion for a long time. But now, the process will speed up thanks to Ukraine’s application.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized that the process of new members’ accession to the EU should remain solely based on the merits and achievements of reforms by the candidate countries without any concessions or “automatism” in this matter.
Hungary PM Viktor Orbán once again stated that due to the war in Ukraine, it is not clear what its territory and population are, and the EU should conduct a strategic analysis of how this will affect the EU before “serious talks about the accession” of Ukraine.