Reform meeting in Berlin – “The European Union must choose a model for the future”

It was the green German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock who called for the talks in Berlin.

The meeting will address, among other things, the enlargement of the European Union with a focus on the reforms required before several states can become EU members, as well as on the “global action capacity” of the European Union, in accordance with the German program aimed at strengthening international cooperation. The European Parliament participated in it. Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom from Sweden (centre) will participate.

The process of enlarging the European Union has become more urgent after the comprehensive Russian invasion of Ukraine. The European Union must prepare for future enlargement and I look forward to discussing these issues with my counterparts, he said in a statement on Wednesday.

In addition to Germany, France, Spain and Portugal are now working to mobilize concrete support in the corridors of the European Union for a reform policy that would make the European Union at least as effective as it is today, if that is even possible. Eight poor countries are candidates Become members.

According to Politico, there are currently major fears that the larger union will, at worst, become paralyzed in action like the United Nations, where individual countries rule and make decisions with the help of veto powers.

– We have to start agreeing… on the model we want for a broader European Union in the future, Portuguese EU Minister Thiago Antunes told Politico before Thursday.

The Portuguese line is to build a broader union, where member states can also formally choose which parts of cooperation they want to a greater extent than they do today. This may be attractive to countries such as Sweden, which has chosen to remain outside the scope of cooperation in the eurozone and parts of Schengen cooperation by controlling the border with Denmark.

But the EU’s core values, such as protecting the rule of law, democracy and human rights, are not negotiable, according to Portugal. POLITICO.

Ministers from all EU countries are expected to travel to the Berlin meeting, but ministers from candidate countries are also invited to participate.

One of tomorrow’s participants is Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, who said in an article in Ukrainian Pravda He describes the meeting as “crucial” for the country’s future.

– It’s great that they are willing to listen to us, and that they don’t make decisions behind our backs. He always says that Ukraine is a first-class country, and will be a first-class country in the European Union.