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EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi has stated that the European Commission is soon expected to propose that the EU give more money to countries that want to join and offer them access to the single market to accelerated their preparations for membership.
According to him, eight countries currently have the status of a candidate country, such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine, while two, Georgia and Kosovo, are potential candidate countries.
"Within a few weeks you will see us presenting a new way of thinking about enlargement and a package that will now include 10 candidate countries or countries with a European perspective," Varhelyi said at a press conference.
Varhelyi has said the EU will seek to help candidates prepare faster for EU membership through a growth plan for the Western Balkans to reduce the "economic and social gap" between these countries and the rest of the EU before accession.
Under the scheme, countries will gradually gain access to the EU's single market of 450 million consumers, where goods, services, labor and capital can move freely, even before they become full EU members.
He said the Commission's proposal would also require more EU money for candidates to help speed up reforms needed to join the now 27-nation bloc.
On the other hand, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has called for the EU to be ready to accept new members and for the candidates to be ready to meet the entry criteria, until 2030.
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