The European Commission is preparing a system of benefits for candidate countries even before joining the EU — Politico

The European Commission is planning to grant candidate countries for the European Union economic advantages even before their accession to the bloc, as governments seek ways to accelerate EU enlargement without lowering requirements for candidates. This was reported by Politico.

These proposals are part of the European Commission's initiative on "gradual integration" — providing candidate countries with broader access to EU opportunities as they implement reforms while their membership applications are still under consideration. This was reported by two officials to the publication.

Among the benefits being discussed are access to certain EU funding programs, preferential trade regimes, and partial access to the single market even before accession. At the same time, the specific support package will be tailored individually depending on the progress of each candidate country. The goal is to encourage states to continue politically challenging reforms even if full membership remains a matter of several years.

Unlike previous ideas of so-called "reverse enlargement," which envisaged granting countries political rights before completing the accession process (a plan not supported by EU member states), the concept of gradual integration foresees economic benefits similar to membership but without actual accession to the European Union until the country is fully ready.

According to Politico, the current proposal already has more political support than previous initiatives. France and Germany have previously supported similar concepts of "eased membership" for countries whose accession process may take many years. Officials believe the current approach will be more acceptable to the capitals of member states.

According to the European Commission's plan, access to benefits will be granted individually depending on how harmonized each country’s legislation is with EU standards and how the necessary reforms have been implemented. This will be a significant difference from the current system, under which most benefits are available only to full members of the Union.

The proposals have appeared amid a general consensus among EU governments on the need to accelerate the enlargement process, especially after Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. At the same time, member states are not ready to accept new participants before all necessary reforms are completed. That is why Brussels seeks to speed up the process while simultaneously introducing additional safeguards to reassure skeptical countries.

According to one official, countries will gradually "accumulate" access to new benefits as they implement reforms, which should reassure governments concerned about granting membership privileges to states that have not yet joined the EU.

Earlier it was reported that the European Commission wants to extend the temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war for another year — until March 4, 2028. At the same time, the proposal includes changes regarding the circle of persons eligible for this status.

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