Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 November 2023
76. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which enlargement of the European Union continues, the action taken to encourage applicant countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50505/23]
View answerIreland is a strong supporter of EU enlargement, provided that candidate countries meet the necessary conditions for membership. We recognise the value of enlargement as a transformative driver for stability and peace in candidate countries.
On 08 November 2023, the European Commission published its annual package of enlargement reports, which assess the progress made by candidate countries to date in readiness for EU membership. The Commission has recommended that the Council opens accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, grants Georgia the status of a candidate country on the understanding that a number of steps are taken, and opens accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved.
While these recommendations carry significant influence, the decision to advance the candidacies of Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia Herzegovina and Georgia must be taken unanimously by all 27 Member States. It is expected that Council Conclusions on enlargement will be endorsed at the European Council meeting in December.
The EU accession process requires all Western Balkans states to demonstrate their ability to align with EU values, as well as with the EU acquis. Many Western Balkans countries have made good progress in this endeavour. This should be recognised and encouraged. We welcome the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which envisages a €6 billion investment to bring the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the EU, accelerate accession-related reforms, and boost economic growth. The New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans will work in addition to the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans. In order to benefit from the New Growth Plan, Western Balkans countries will be required to implement specific reforms, related to the accession fundamentals and CFSP alignment. We encourage our Western Balkans partners to accelerate reforms accordingly, to fully seize this transformative opportunity.
Ireland also participates in the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), which is the EU’s primary support tool to assist states in the implementation of reforms. Regional cooperation, good-neighbourly relations and reconciliation efforts to overcome open bilateral issues and the legacy of the past are priority objectives for the instrument which, for the period 2021-2027, has a budgetary envelope of over €14 billion.
Ireland will continue to support strongly the enlargement process and offer any practical assistance it can to candidate countries engaged in accession negotiations to the EU.
