EU prepares rule changes as fears grow that rapid enlargement could paralyse decision-making

The European Union is preparing changes to its enlargement rules as growing concern in member state capitals warns that a fast-tracked accession of new members could paralyse decision-making in the bloc.

Senior diplomats in Brussels and several national capitals — notably France, Germany and the Netherlands — have expressed resistance to accelerating the process. The central worry is that political shifts inside a newly admitted country might later block strategic EU decisions, especially on foreign policy, the budget and other areas that require broad agreement.

"There is a reason why the enlargement process takes decades. We fear we will let in a 'Trojan horse'," said a diplomat from a country that is sceptical of accelerated enlargement.

Commission working on guarantees for existing members

Officials say the European Commission is already preparing possible rule changes to reassure current member states that a new enlargement wave will not hinder decision-making or complicate the distribution of funds from the common European budget.

The topic will be central to the strategic debate that EU leaders are due to hold at the European Council meeting on 15 and 16 October. The Council announced in June that the October session would specifically address the link between future enlargement and the internal reform the EU itself needs.

The push for debate has intensified after an acceleration of accession processes for Ukraine, Moldova and Western Balkan countries. Ukraine on 15 June of this year opened its first negotiating cluster covering fundamental areas such as the judiciary, fundamental rights and financial control, though experts stress that opening clusters does not guarantee membership nor set accession deadlines.

Past cases underline how long the path can be: Montenegro has been negotiating since 2012 and, despite opening all 33 chapters, 2028 is mentioned only as a "possible" accession date, conditional on fulfilling all obligations. Turkey provides an even more striking example: it received candidate status in 1999 and began negotiations in 2005, but after 21 years the process has been stalled and was effectively blocked in 2018.

That tension — between those who see enlargement as a geopolitical priority and those warning that admitting new states without prior institutional reform could impair the EU's functioning — will shape expectations ahead of the October summit, which may determine not only who joins and when, but under what conditions future members will enter the Union.

Photo: press material from the event