The European Union will have to implement deep reforms by 2030 if it is to avoid paralysis before it spreads to other countries such as Ukraine, according to a report by Franco-German experts released on Tuesday.

“Enlargement will make the EU stronger and more stable,” German European Affairs Minister Anna Luhrmann insisted, according to AFP.

In this report, presented in Brussels to the 27 member states, 12 experts propose to simplify the functioning of Europe with 30 or even more members.

“For geopolitical reasons, EU enlargement is at the top of the list of priorities, but the EU is not yet ready to accept new members either institutionally or politically,” they note.

Luhrmann emphasized the “very positive” reception of this report during the discussions at the 27th.

Unanimity rule and multi-speed Europe

However, Spanish European Affairs Minister Pascual Ignacio Navarro Ríos, who chaired the meeting, warned that “the positions of the member states are still very far apart.”

In particular, experts suggest abandoning the unanimity rule. This sometimes requires time-consuming compromises for certain decisions, when it does not simply paralyze discussions between the 27.

Unanimity will remain the rule in foreign and security policy, but will be replaced by qualified majority voting in other areas, including the sensitive issue of taxation. Cautious about this important topic, these experts nevertheless suggest the possibility of rejection.

For efficiency, they also suggest “differentiation” within the block, where some members could move forward freely without waiting for others. An old idea opposed by several European countries who fear a Europe at different speeds where they will be left out.

Hard core / Reducing the number of MEPs

According to the report, this Europe will include the first circle of countries ready for ambitious integration of their policies, a kind of hard core, followed by the EU as it exists now, and then a group of countries that are satisfied with the single market. , such as Switzerland or Norway at the moment, and finally the European Political Community (EPC) to ensure dialogue between all countries on the continent.

The report also recommends reducing the number of European Commission members from the current 27, so that each country has its own commissioner, and limiting the number of MEPs to a maximum of 751.

By the end of the year, the European Union must decide whether it will enter into negotiations with several countries, including Ukraine and Moldova.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week that the EU should not “wait for treaty changes before moving on to enlargement”, calling for “faster adaptation of the Union”, its institutions and budget.

French European Affairs Minister Laurence Boon insisted the report was in no way a “proposal” from Paris and Berlin, but a contribution by experts who “present options” to fuel the debate, AFP reported.