His blazing European speeches have so far made little difference, now Emmanuel Macron seems to want to try a kind of shock therapy: The NATO declared France's president for "brain dead", shortly before he had a decision of the EU leaders for the beginning of Accession negotiations with Albania and northern Macedonia. But Europe is apparently annoyed rather than shaken by Macron's verbal attacks, as revealed at a recent ministerial meeting in Brussels.
On Tuesday, the department heads responsible for European affairs met there, one of the topics being: the accession of the Western Balkan countries. After the blockade of France at the EU summit in October, they wanted to "pick up the pieces and send a positive signal to the region," said an EU diplomat. But the French had other plans: On Monday they launched a paper on the reform of the EU enlargement process, which promptly found its way to the public.
Accession process based on four principles?
The reaction of the Finns currently holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council was irritated: "We will not discuss the French initiative today," said Finnish Minister of European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen. A few minutes later, France's Secretary of State for Europe, Amélie de Montchalin, praised the Finns for putting the item on the agenda and allowing them to hold a "peaceful debate" on it. After all, the French had underlined in their paper the accession perspective of the Western Balkan states, Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said smugly. "That's just not a matter of course on the French side."
According to the so-called non-paper from Paris, which is available to SPIEGEL, the accession process will in future be based on four principles:
- The candidate countries should gradually move closer to the EU by organizing the negotiations around "policy blocks",
- Stringent conditions should ensure European norms and values such as the rule of law in the long term,
- there should be concrete benefits for the candidates, such as greater financial support,
- the entire process should be reversible.
France justifies its blockade with concern for the functioning of the EU: it is already barely moving on important issues today - and new members are in danger of becoming more paralyzed. The idea paper from the Élysée states that enlargement would only be considered "if the EU had reformed and become more effective for its member states".
How exactly these reforms should look like, however, leaves Paris open - which makes other EU states suspicious. "The big question is whether France is serious about reforming the accession process," says an EU diplomat, "or whether it just wants to delay EU enlargement and ultimately block it altogether."
Austria Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia even wrote down their displeasure in writing. The accession process is an "indispensable instrument" for stability, security and reform in the Western Balkans and must therefore "continue without unnecessary delays," according to a letter from the five countries to EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who is in the SPIEGEL. If the EU wanted to safeguard its interests in the region, full membership of the countries would be without alternative.
They should go over seven steps
According to the French paper, accession will take place in seven successive stages, from the reorganization of the judicial system to the EU criteria, to the adaptation of the social and educational systems, finances and markets. The current process, on the other hand, consists of 35 thematic chapters whose timing is not fixed. Instead, on the recommendation of the Commission, the EU Council of Ministers must decide on the opening and closing of each chapter. Not infrequently, political questions play a role that have little to do with the actual accession chapter. Each country can block at will with its right of veto.
"This is an absurd world where you never really know what's going on," says Gerald Knaus, head of the European Stability Initiative (ESI). The opening of the chapter was a "political theater" that would only give the EU influence if it was credible. "The opened accession chapters do not tell you how far a country is." It was amazing that it took so long for someone to fundamentally question the process.
Stephanie Lecocq / EPA-EFE / REX
Finland's European Minister Tuppurainen: annoyed by France's push
Out of sight in this case are Albania and North Macedonia, which now have to wait for the opening of the accession negotiations. Northern Macedonia in particular is considered well prepared. In 2005, the country became a candidate for membership, and the EU Commission has since recommended the opening of negotiations ten times without success to the member states. Recently, Northern Macedonia has even changed its name to clear the last hurdle. The renewed rejection, this time at the instigation of France, has triggered a political crisis in the country: Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced his resignation for January and new elections for April 2020.
The impression that lingers in the neighboring countries is fatal. "The loss of confidence in the EU is unprecedented," says David McAllister (CDU), head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. "The EU has made concrete commitments that these countries have relied on." It is now to be feared that Russia, China, Turkey or the Arab Gulf states will extend their influence in the Western Balkans. "These EU geostrategic competitors are tapping their thighs," says McAllister. "The more space we free, the faster it will be filled by others."
Knaus wants to bring Balkan countries into the EU internal market
Esi leader Knaus, who is considered one of the fathers of the EU refugee pact with Turkey, has proposed a new approach in talks with governments of several EU countries: the EU should offer the Western Balkans accession to the European Economic Area (EEA). This would make them practically members of the EU internal market. "For citizens, that would be almost as good as full membership of the EU," says Knaus. "And the countries have no right of veto in key policy areas." The EU's dreaded blockade would be off the table.
In addition, one would fall back on the tried and tested, as Knaus emphasized. The EEA has existed since 1994, when Finland, Sweden, Austria, Iceland and Norway joined. The first three became EU members a year later. The EEA membership was an excellent preparation for it, says Knaus.
Others are less enthusiastic about the idea. "The Western Balkans want to become members of the EU and not the single market," says CDU politician McAllister. In addition, the accession negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro are ongoing. "You can not change the rules of a running game."
The EU state ministers failed to agree on concrete conclusions on Tuesday. However, that does not mean that there is a standstill, stressed Tuppurainen. It will take care of the subject again in the spring of next year, then the new commission will be in office. Nevertheless, the Finn could not suppress a swipe at Macron: "We are not brain dead."