Balgarianovinite.com In times of geopolitical uncertainty, European Union (EU) enlargement is more than a choice for peace, it is an investment in collective security and freedom, said European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen Tuesday in a video address to participants in the EU Enlargement Forum in Brussels.
“From its very foundation, the EU has been a peace project. It is the thread that has bound our Member States together and guided each step of our integration,” von der Leyen said.
“Of course, the way to European membership is challenging, as it requires many reforms, and alignment with our EU is key. But the benefits are many and countries that joined the EU in the last wave experienced incredible economic growth: living standards doubled, unemployment almost halved, life expectancy rose by an average of four years, and six million new jobs were created. The same will happen with the next enlargement process, but we wanted to advance some of the positive effects already now, and this is the purpose of our growth plans,” the EC President emphasized.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that Europe needs to be cleared of autocracies and that it is essential to defend its space of freedom and democracy. She added that enlargement policy was once again being used to address gaps in prosperity, freedom and stability across Europe, which were increasingly being exploited by adversaries, human traffickers and criminals.
“There have been significant advances on the EU path achieved so far by Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, and of course, Ukraine. And this shows that really reform pays off. The EU has also stepped up gradual integration, including through the Ukraine facility and the growth plan for Western Balkans and Moldova. And this is already making the EU a lived reality in candidates today. And we need to keep pace with the geopolitical urgency of our time,” Kos said.
“I see three strands of our work as we move forward. First, any progress we make with our future member states must be credible. Candidates need to align with their key fully. And they need to implement it effectively. There will be no shortcuts. I’m often asked, will those geopolitical arguments mean we should turn a blind eye and get new members no matter what? No, I tell you, it is exactly the opposite. When democratic structures are weak or the rule of law is defect, it can open the door to malign influence, to corruption and organized crime,” the Commissioner noted.
Also taking part in Tuesday’s forum are the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, EU Commissioner for Defence, Andrius Kubilius, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Montenegrin Prime Minister, Milo Dukanovic, Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu, Serbian Parliament President Ana Brnabic, and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Taras Kachka. EU Enlargement Is Investment in Collective Security and Freedom, Says EC President 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-18 12:24:32 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law