Commissioner: EU may rethink enlargement process

The European Union may need to revise its enlargement framework to accelerate Ukraine’s path toward membership, according to the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.

In an interview with Financial Times, Kos said the current geopolitical situation makes faster enlargement a strategic priority for the bloc.

“if there is ever a right time to accelerate EU enlargement, it is now,” she said, adding that completing the enlargement process is a key objective for the European Union.

Kos suggested that achieving this goal could require a “different model” for admitting new members, although she did not outline specific details and said discussions were still at an early stage.

She noted that she is in talks with several countries on approaches that could combine merit-based accession assessments with gradual integration into EU institutions for candidate states.

The remarks come amid ongoing debate within the EU over how to manage Ukraine’s accession process while the country continues to pursue reforms and defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

It was previously reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had floated the idea of an “associate membership” model for Ukraine, which could include participation in EU structures without full voting rights.

By Sabina Mammadli