Enlargement will not fall victim to Lisbon Treaty, says Commission

The Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty and its uncertain future should not be used as “scapegoats” to block enlargement, Commissioner Olli Rehn said in a speech yesterday (18 September) which was primarily directed at Germany and France, which have ruled out further expansion without the new Treaty.

Speaking at a conference on the Western Balkans in Prague, Rehn said the Lisbon Treaty “has raised some questions on the future of enlargement” but should not affect further process. 

“We need the Lisbon Treaty in order to make the current EU function better. But we cannot take any sabbatical from our work for peace and prosperity that serves the fundamental interest of the EU and its citizens,” Rehn pointed out. 

The new Reform Treaty was meant to be in place before the next European elections next June, but the Irish no in a referendum in June (EURACTIV 13/06/08) has put this date into question. Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker this week was the first EU leader who said he considered it unlikely the treaty would go into effect before 2010. 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel insist that there can be no further enlargement until the new treaty is in place (EURACTIV 20/06/08), although their position was immediately contested by countries from Eastern Europe (EURACTIV 09/07/08). 

For the time being, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey have official EU candidate status. While membership appears possible within the near future for the first two, Turkey’s EU future is far from certain and entry is not foreseen before 2014. 

Rehn reiterated the positive outlook for Croatia, saying it was possible to conclude “technical negotiations” before the end of next year, so that the country could join in 2011 or 2012. But there is also a membership perspective for all other countries of the Western Balkans, according to Rehn. 

Speaking about Serbia, he echoed Commission President José Manuel Barroso’s earlier statement that the country could achieve candidate status next year, adding that for Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia, the primary focus would be on facilitating visa liberalisation. 

The Commission will present its annual progress reports on enlargement in early November. 

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