EU considering rule change to speed up entry of new members – Politico

That is according to Politico, as cited by Ukrinform.

According to three European diplomats, the proposal is still in its early stages and would require the approval of all 27 member states.

The initiative would enable candidate countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, and Montenegro to enjoy many benefits of EU membership but without veto rights.

Diplomats believe this step would allow the new countries to join on more flexible terms without requiring an overhaul of the EU’s basic treaties, seen by several governments as a non-starter.

New EU members will receive full rights only after the Union reforms its internal decision-making process to make it more difficult for individual countries to use the veto power to block policies affecting the entire bloc.

As reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said that by the end of the year Ukraine would be ready to open all six negotiation clusters required for EU accession.