Now it will already be clear: the European Union already has massive financial problems with 27 member states – as is well known (eXXpress reported), EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen would like to All net payers – including Austria – transfer even more tax money to Convisse Brussels. According to the EU Commission, an additional 66 billion euros will be needed to cover ongoing expenses, existing EU projects, the entire bureaucracy and continuing support for Ukraine.
That is why the current statement of EU Council President Charles Michel is a bit surprising: Belgium has now declared in Slovenia that the EU will remain on the path of expansion, reports FAZ.
“The EU must be ready to welcome new members from Eastern Europe and the Balkans by 2030,” EU chief Charles Michel argued for Europe’s ambitions of multiple candidate countries. With fighting still raging in Ukraine and Moldova’s pro-Western government calling for reforms, senior EU officials have been reluctant to offer a precise timetable.
Charles Mitchell: “I believe that by 2030 we should be ready for expansion on both sides.” The President of the Council of the European Union referred it to the necessary reforms in the states of the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, on which the Heads of State and Government lay the prospect of a European perspective.
However, Michel also stressed that member states themselves must become receptive. “It makes sense for new states to join a federation that does a good job, that is efficient,” he said. This will require many reforms and a lot of political courage, especially with the next financial framework for the years 2028 to 2034. Because the new EU members will remain net recipients for the foreseeable future. This means: for net contributors among EU countries – such as Austria – membership certainly will not be cheap.
