Germany and France come out with "non-paper" on the Western Balkans before the summit in Montenegro

Berlin and Paris, in an informal document, have called on the European Commission to draft proposals to facilitate the gradual integration of candidate countries into the EU.

This initiative foresees that countries approaching membership could benefit earlier from some internal market benefits, depending on their progress in negotiations.

It is also suggested that these countries have closer ties with EU institutions during the daily decision-making process, for example by taking observer status at some meetings of European institutions.

However, this involvement would only take place under clear conditions that preserve the independence and autonomy of the European Union's decision-making.

"Enlargement policy needs a new impetus. The upcoming summits that the European Union will hold with the Western Balkans on 5 June and with Moldova on 22 June are an opportunity not to be missed. The common goal is to complete the European Union as a truly European union. To turn this goal into reality and to give a new dynamic to the process, additional incentives must be created within the framework of gradual integration, which must be based on merit. It is also necessary to simplify the current enlargement process, so that it becomes more efficient and enables faster and deeper integration into the EU, always in accordance with the Copenhagen criteria ," the document states. 

It is emphasized that the goal of full membership in the EU remains unchanged and that gradual integration does not aim to replace full membership or extend the path towards it, RTCG reports.

"On the contrary, the aim is to create incentives that accelerate progress on this path. In this way, gradual integration will contribute to a successful enlargement of the European Union and to its strengthening as a whole ," it further states.

The document also proposes simplifying the negotiation methodology, by merging several procedural steps. The emphasis is placed on focusing the work of candidate countries, the European Commission and the Council of the EU more on the content and essence of reforms, and less on procedures.

It is also emphasized that through a structured and gradual integration, it is intended to give candidate countries an additional impetus to undertake and accelerate the necessary reforms. It is also proposed that, if certain conditions are met, joint meetings be held twice a year between the European Commission, members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Western Balkan countries and Moldova.

It is also envisaged that joint parliamentary committees will meet more frequently, in order to strengthen political and institutional cooperation.

Another element of the proposal is that representatives of candidate countries can participate in certain agenda items in informal meetings of the European Council and the Council of the EU, but only as observers and without the right to vote.