Charles Michel commented on the expansion in 2004.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 gave new impetus to the European Union's desire to accept more countries.
The head of the block, Charles Michel, announced this on April 29, reports Reuters.
He expressed hope that the 27-nation alliance and potential new members would be ready by 2030.
European Council President Charles Michel spoke on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the “Big Bang” enlargement of the EU, when 10 more mostly former communist countries, including Poland, joined the bloc, which at the time had only 15 members and Hungary and the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Cyprus.
“It was the call of history to unite European countries. Twenty years later we face a similar challenge because there is geopolitical chaos, in particular due to Russia's war against Ukraine. And confronting this chaos is the geopolitical strategy for that to unite again,” added the head of the European Council.
He said countries that joined the EU in 2004 saw their overall gross domestic product per capita rise from about half the EU average then to 80% now.
Now six Balkan countries, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, are contenders for EU membership. Michel noted that Ukraine is by far the largest potential EU member, with a population of approximately 40 million and a large agricultural sector.
“Because of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, there is a new impetus, a revival of the (EU) enlargement strategy. This is a difficult challenge. But what is the alternative? The alternative would be a terrible, irresponsible mistake on the part of the EU” , he emphasized and called on the European Union and candidate countries to implement the reforms necessary for enlargement by 2030.
According to the source, wealthy EU member states are wary of the entry of such a large country as Ukraine, because it could take a lot of resources from the EU coffers. At the same time, Michel noted that a victory would be the strengthening of the international influence of the EU.
“The EU is one of the three major regional powers in the world, along with China and the US. And with this new expansion, the idea is not only to become bigger. It also needs to become more influential,” said he.
Charles Michel said Kyiv will need special transitional arrangements as the country needs to recover from the war, while the EU must be careful to fully open up to Ukraine's large population and food exports.< /p>
Recall that the head of the bloc, Charles Michel called not to underestimate the challenges facing Europe.
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