The European Commission has developed a new EU enlargement strategy with restrictions for new members

The European Commission has developed a new expansion strategy that will allow it to quickly admit new members, including Ukraine, but will limit their rights, El País reports.

“Brussels proposes measures to integrate candidate countries before they become full members, but also to limit their voting rights in the first years of membership,” the publication said.

As the publication notes, in case of serious violations, voting rights may be completely deprived. The strategy also includes transitional measures in sensitive areas such as free movement of workers and agriculture to prevent sharp market shocks.

According to the newspaper, such measures were developed taking into account the experience of Hungary, which used the veto power to block Brussels decisions. At the same time, diplomatic sources warn that innovations could lead to the emergence of “first- and second-class members.”

Ukraine became a candidate for the European Union in June 2022. However, they recognized that this was largely a symbolic decision in order to support Kyiv in the confrontation with Moscow. In June 2024, the first intergovernmental conferences were held in Luxembourg.