BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) plans to open its single market to countries waiting to join the bloc, but only if they align with its stance toward hostile states and industrial rivals, according to a draft European Commission proposal reported by Politico.
Candidate countries, some of which have waited decades for membership, would receive "gradual integration" into the market while their applications are processed. The benefits would include frictionless trade and access to research programs, according to the draft.
"The single market is the first priority for economic convergence," the document says.
The review, overseen by Alexandre Adam, a top adviser to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and a former aide to French President Emmanuel Macron, would sharply change how the EU deals with its neighbors. Currently, nearly all the economic benefits of closer cooperation are reserved for full members. No country has joined since Croatia in 2013.
Under the plan, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro would be offered "road maps" meant to speed their path to membership in the coming years. Other candidates, including North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Turkey, have seen their processes stall. There are growing fears that they could become disengaged or drift closer to Russia or China.
The benefits would be tied to candidates' support for EU foreign policy goals. Single market access would depend on those countries not sharing key technologies with hostile states and trade rivals, the draft says.
"As industrial and market integration deepens, participation in sensitive sectors must be accompanied by cooperation on investment screening, export controls, sanctions implementation and the protection of sensitive technologies," the review states.
Areas under consideration for closer cooperation include semiconductors, quantum technologies, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and space.
The draft warns that access could be revoked. "Where these obligations are not fulfilled, participation must remain reversible," it says.
Von der Leyen arrives in Albania on Wednesday for talks as part of a tour of the Western Balkans. She also will visit Kosovo and North Macedonia, which would miss out on the expedited pathway under the plan.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told Politico his country wants greater access to the single market, European funding and joint programs in areas such as energy, research and infrastructure.
"We support gradual integration, but it must be a pathway to full EU membership, not a parallel process or a substitute for it," Kurti said.
The draft says full membership remains the ultimate goal for candidates, but it acknowledges the process "takes time" and requires far-reaching, lasting reforms. The EU should use that time, it says, to prepare itself for a larger membership while deepening integration in areas of mutual interest.
