The European Commission has proposed using qualified majority voting to open negotiating clusters and take other intermediate decisions in EU accession talks — a potentially significant change for Western Balkan candidates repeatedly exposed to individual member-state vetoes. But unanimity would not disappear altogether, and accession itself would still require the agreement of all EU members.
STRASBOURG, Oct 6 (BalkanView) — The European Commission proposed on Tuesday reducing the ability of individual EU governments to block intermediate stages of enlargement as part of a sweeping package designed to prepare the bloc for the admission of new members.
The proposal could have particular significance for Western Balkan candidates, where bilateral disputes have repeatedly spilled into the accession process.
Under the package, the Commission suggests using qualified majority voting for the opening of negotiating clusters and other intermediary decisions during accession negotiations.
The move would make it harder for a single EU member state to halt a candidate’s progress at every intermediate stage.
It would not, however, abolish national vetoes over enlargement altogether. The Commission said the changes could be pursued within the EU’s existing treaty framework and future accession treaties, while the admission of a new member remains subject to the requirements governing accession.
The proposal is part of the Commission’s new “Preparing for a wider Union” package, which examines how EU institutions, policies, decision-making and finances would function after another wave of enlargement.
“Enlargement of our Union is a geopolitical imperative,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“As enlargement countries advance on their path of reform, the EU must be ready to welcome them.”
A potentially important change for North Macedonia
The proposal is particularly relevant to North Macedonia, whose EU accession process has repeatedly been affected by bilateral disputes.
Greece blocked the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration for years over the name dispute before the 2018 Prespa Agreement opened the way for NATO membership.
Bulgaria subsequently blocked progress in the EU process over disputes involving history, language and identity.
Under the EU-backed compromise reached in 2022, North Macedonia must amend its constitution to include Bulgarians among the communities explicitly mentioned in it before the next phase of negotiations can proceed.
The government in Skopje says it wants guarantees that implementing that commitment will not result in additional bilateral demands later in the accession process.
Sofia maintains that the existing conditions are already part of the European framework and should simply be implemented.
The Commission’s latest proposal would not remove North Macedonia’s existing obligations.
But if accepted by EU member states, qualified majority voting for negotiating clusters and other intermediary decisions could reduce the scope for individual countries to block future steps in an accession process.
That distinction is important: Brussels is proposing changes to how intermediate decisions are taken, not eliminating the conditions candidates must fulfil.
Commission wants faster decision-making
The proposal goes beyond enlargement.
The Commission argues that a larger EU will need a faster and more effective decision-making system if it is to avoid becoming paralysed as the number of member states increases.
It said it would continue advocating the use of so-called passerelle clauses, mechanisms available under the existing EU treaties that can allow some decisions normally requiring unanimity to move to qualified majority voting.
The Commission specifically identified sanctions, measures against tax fraud and certain fiscal measures in energy policy.
It also said it would review stalled proposals to determine whether groups of willing member states could use enhanced cooperation to overcome persistent blockages.
For enlargement, the Commission’s proposal is more explicit: qualified majority voting should be considered for opening negotiating clusters and other intermediary decisions.
The objective, it said, is to make accession negotiations “more dynamic”.
EU says it can absorb new members
The package also addresses a question increasingly accompanying the renewed enlargement debate: whether the EU itself is ready for additional members.
The Commission’s assessment is that it can accommodate a larger membership within the existing treaty framework and through provisions contained in future accession treaties.
That conclusion is significant because institutional reform has sometimes been presented as a prerequisite for another major enlargement.
Brussels instead argues that much of the necessary adaptation can be accomplished without rewriting the EU treaties.
The Commission identified administrative capacity and implementation as recurring challenges both for current EU members and candidate countries.
It called for stronger regulatory and supervisory capacity, better cooperation between administrations, improved skills and interoperable systems before new countries join.
New members could face tougher safeguards
But easier decision-making during negotiations would come with stricter safeguards after membership.
The Commission wants future accession treaties to contain stronger mechanisms to respond if a new member retreats from commitments made during negotiations.
Existing sectoral safeguards covering areas such as the internal market, economy and justice and home affairs could remain available for significantly longer periods after accession.
More strikingly, the Commission proposes a new institutional safeguard dealing with serious breaches of the EU values contained in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union and the principle of sincere cooperation.
In the most serious cases, measures could include suspending a member state’s voting rights in the Council.
Funding could also be affected in cases of serious backsliding.
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said the objective was to ensure that reforms did not end on the day a country became an EU member.
She said the Commission wanted stronger possibilities to prevent backsliding, including reductions in funding or restrictions on voting rights.
A safeguard against importing bilateral disputes
One proposal could be particularly significant for the Western Balkans.
The Commission said future accession treaties could include a temporary commitment by a new member not to block subsequent enlargements because of bilateral disputes.
Such a provision would address a problem that has repeatedly complicated EU enlargement: a candidate resolving its own accession process only to gain the power, once inside the Union, to block another candidate over a bilateral disagreement.
The Western Balkans have provided some of the clearest examples of the problem.
The proposed safeguard would be limited in duration and would apply through future accession arrangements, but it signals that Brussels increasingly sees bilateral vetoes as a structural problem for enlargement.
Candidates could enter parts of the EU before membership
The Commission also wants to accelerate the gradual integration of candidate countries before they formally join.
Candidates meeting the necessary conditions could participate earlier in selected EU policies and programmes.
Brussels identified energy, transport, digital policy and defence as areas where integration could be deepened.
The process would remain merit-based and conditional.
Participation could also be reversed if a candidate stopped meeting the requirements.
The Commission plans annual dialogues with enlargement countries to assess progress, identify new opportunities for integration and address shortcomings.
The idea is to allow citizens and businesses in candidate countries to experience some benefits of EU integration before full membership while simultaneously preparing national institutions for the obligations that membership will bring.
No immediate roadmap for North Macedonia
The Commission also announced that its 2026 Enlargement Package will contain indicative accession roadmaps for Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine, provided those countries maintain their reform momentum.
North Macedonia is not included among the four countries for which such an indicative roadmap was announced.
That reflects the continuing blockage of its accession process rather than a formal abandonment of its membership perspective.
The Commission has repeatedly said North Macedonia belongs in the EU, while also insisting that Skopje must fulfil the commitments required to advance under the current negotiating framework.
The distinction is increasingly visible across the Western Balkans.
Montenegro and Albania have moved deeper into accession negotiations, while North Macedonia’s process remains stalled over the constitutional amendment.
Budget can handle enlargement, Commission says
Brussels also sought to address fears that enlargement would overwhelm the EU budget.
The Commission concluded that the bloc’s finances could accommodate additional members while continuing to fund existing priorities.
Under the proposed 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, candidate countries would receive funding through the Global Europe instrument before accession.
After joining, financing would shift towards national and regional partnership plans, with additional resources becoming available for cohesion, agriculture, home affairs and cross-border cooperation.
Ukraine would require special arrangements because of the size and productivity of its agricultural sector.
The Commission proposed targeted measures that would limit financial support and market access for some sensitive agricultural products while helping Ukraine restore access to traditional export markets outside the EU.
Enlargement without rewriting the EU treaties
The broader political message from Brussels is that the EU does not believe another enlargement requires a fundamental redesign of the Union before it can happen.
Instead, the Commission is proposing a combination of qualified majority voting, stronger post-accession safeguards, gradual integration and provisions in future accession treaties.
The package now goes to EU governments and the European Parliament for discussion.
It will also feed into the European Council’s debate on enlargement and internal reform later in October.
That means none of the most politically sensitive changes — particularly the proposed use of qualified majority voting during accession negotiations — takes effect simply because the Commission has proposed it.
Member states will have to determine how far they are prepared to surrender the ability to stop individual stages of enlargement.
For countries such as North Macedonia, that debate could prove almost as important as the negotiations themselves.
The Commission is effectively proposing a new balance: candidates would still have to meet the conditions for membership, but individual EU governments could have less power to repeatedly stop the process along the way.