European Commission proposes new safeguards for EU enlargement

The European Commission is developing plans to overhaul the membership process for new European Union members to prevent democratic backsliding. This initiative aims to avoid a repeat of the situation in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been criticized for undermining the judiciary and press freedom after joining the bloc.

Proposed safeguards include permanent monitoring of the rule of law and the ability to temporarily restrict a member state's voting rights in Brussels if it undermines democratic institutions. Such measures would effectively strip a country of its veto power. These discussions are driven by the strategic necessity of EU expansion, fueled by the war in Ukraine, which has shifted enlargement from a purely economic project to a matter of European security and geopolitical influence.

Potential candidates for accession include Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine. While candidate nations face strict requirements before joining, current EU members, including Germany, France, and the Benelux countries, are concerned that the Union lacks effective tools to enforce compliance once a nation is a full member.