Event reports
On the 4th of July, together with our partner Ukrainian Prism Europe, we had the pleasure of hosting more then 80 guests for the first event of our new series “30 by 2030?” in our office in Brussels to discuss the recent launch of accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. After welcoming remarks by our Director Beatrice Gorawantschy, Valentina Superti from the European Commission opened the event with her keynote address. Afterwards participants were greeted by Ambassadors Daniela Morari of Moldova and Vsevolod Chentsov of Ukraine, who opened the discussion with their remarks about their country's perspectives on the EU accession process.
One week after the beginning of the accession negotiations with both Ukraine and Moldova, our speakers highlighted both past successes and future challenges. Twenty years ago, ten new members were welcomed into the EU whereas now nine countries want to join. Our speakers recognized how long the accession process will likely take and mentioned the concept of gradual integration as a remedy for keeping up the newfound energy, unity and support from both sides. Those could incorporate cooperations in the fields of security and economy. Institutional reforms should not only be a task for the candidate countries but also the EU itself to have both sides well equipped for enlargement. Concrete measures on the candidate side include restructuring parts of the administration, consulting other candidate countries such as the Western Balkans or experts from civil society to incorporate their experiences.
The discussion with the panellists was moderated by André Härtel from the Brussels office of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). The panellists from the candidate side Iulian Groza, Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova, and Ivan Nagornyak from the Center for Economic Recovery in Kyiv, touched on different issues and reforms in their respective countries. The upcoming referendum to add EU accession to the Moldovan constitution has split the country in three camps and worries that Russian disinformation campaigns might negatively impact the outcome are growing. Additionally, since no referendum has been successful in Moldova since 1990, the third camp with a neutral stance on EU accession might tip the balance against the referendum. Therefore, Moldova must strengthen its efforts to combat disinformation. As a second issue in Moldova, our panellists identified the autonomous region of Transnistria which is under Russian influence. The government's strategy in Chișinău shifts toward reintegration rather than efforts to settle the ‘frozen conflict’. Especially economic incentives from the EU could booster reintegration efforts and are hence viewed as a critical part of the gradual integration concept. For Ukraine, the 2030 is ambitious for its accession into the EU as various reforms are either not implemented or still must be passed by legislature. Concrete measures relate for example to restoring the market freedom after the end of the war, combat corruption or increase efforts to harmonise Ukraine with the EU cohesion policy under a re-established Ministry for Regional Development according to our experts. Due to its continued progress in the accession process, Montenegro could also be seen as a test to try out the new mechanisms for this phase of enlargement.
For the EU, enlargement policy is a fundamental policy area and requires a radically new way of thinking in the current times. Our speakers Marta Mucznik from the International Crisis Group and Amanda Paul from the European Policy Center identified both the pragmatic approach as well as new geopolitical necessities as the underlying trends shaping this phase of enlargement. Especially in the case of Ukraine, the first candidate country at war during the accession negotiations, both sides face increasing pressure to ensure the accession as quickly and smoothly as possible. One question remaining is how the EU’s borders with Ukraine as a member are drawn given the ongoing Russian aggression. Our experts also touched upon crucial reforms within the EU, notably changes to the unanimity voting – one of the challenges together with the multitude of actors involved in the complex European system of governance. A more effective approach would comprise of unanimity only at the beginning and the end of the accession process and qualified majority for all other votes during the process. Such a reform has already been outlined in a proposal by Germany and Slovenia that remains to be implemented. Another important factor for the upcoming legislature is the amount of the multi-annual financial framework dedicated to enlargement as both financial incentives for the candidate countries and increased resources on the European side are essential to ensure a smooth and quick accession. Our speakers also remarked on possible consequences from an increased position of the political right in Europe. As their thematic focus tends to be on issues like migration and they are internally divided on their stance towards Russia, the right’s influence is currently somewhat limited. Nevertheless, maintaining the momentum for further enlargement possibly through gradual integration remains a priority. Members of the audience asked about the impact of Ukraine’s accession on the EU’s agricultural funding as member states are worried that under the current system, Ukraine would receive a major share of the subsidies due to its large agricultural areas. Our experts emphasized the need to reorganise the agricultural funding and update it to the current requirements.
This event underscored the historic start of the accession process with Ukraine and Moldova as well as the number of tasks and challenges ahead for the upcoming months and years on both sides. The end of the road – 30 member states by 2030 or later– is clear but the way to get there will require further unified and effective measures, reforms and political goodwill from the European, the Moldovan and the Ukrainian side.
Written by Johanna Fietze and Stanislav Linchevsky
