EU Expansion Commissioner Marta Kos has called for swift accession negotiations with Ukraine. Ukraine applied for EU membership in 2022 shortly after the Russian invasion. This week, EU foreign ministers presented Ukraine with a list of reforms needed as a condition for accession, with corruption remaining a major challenge. Kos noted that Ukraine has made significant progress, enabling the EU to potentially open initial negotiation chapters on fundamental rights and the rule of law, though Hungary is currently blocking formal talks. She criticized this blockage as unfair and un-European.

Kos argued that not all enlargement steps should require unanimity and emphasized the need for protective measures to prevent new member states from regressing post-accession. She stressed that EU enlargement should strengthen the union, not weaken it, and that she does not want to be remembered as the commissioner who introduced “Trojan horses.” Additionally, Kos highlighted the strategic importance of integrating Western Balkan states, like Montenegro and Albania, for European security, stating that their accession talks could conclude within two years. She recalled Slovenia’s accession in 2004 as part of the EU’s original peace mission rather than just economic prosperity.