European Commission proposes common market for EU candidate countries

The European Commission has proposed the creation of a common market for nine EU candidate countries to foster economic prosperity and convergence. The proposal, part of a shift in enlargement policy, aims to allow access to a space where goods, services, people, and capital circulate freely, a privilege previously reserved for formal EU members.

Access to this market is conditional upon the concrete progress each candidate country makes in its reform process. The proposal includes mechanisms to prevent access from being permanent if reforms stall, though specific criteria for suspension have not been clearly defined. The plan suggests that existing instruments will be expanded gradually based on each nation's readiness.

The candidate countries included in the proposal are Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Turkey, Moldova, and Ukraine. The document will serve as a basis for strategic discussions during the EU summit scheduled for October 15-16 in Brussels.