EU’s enlargement process expected to gain impetus: Commissioner

ATHENS

The European Union’s enlargement process is expected to gain impetus during the Polish presidency of the European Council, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said Tuesday.

“I hope that with the support of EU member states, we will see during the Polish presidency the opening of one or two clusters with Ukraine and Moldova, as well as progress on several other clusters and chapters in the Western Balkans candidate states,” said Kos, speaking before the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

“To put this in context, if candidate countries stick to the reform efforts, we could see more progress during the Polish presidency than during the last 10 years,” she added.

Kos argued that Moldova faces Russian intervention and manipulation and consequently needs even more support from the EU.

However, in Georgia, she said the authorities continue to shift away from EU integration despite the strong will of the pro-EU masses.

On the accession negotiations with Albania and Montenegro, Kos called on the parliaments of these countries to act swiftly to pass the required laws for the negotiations to move forward.

“I strongly believe that EU accession requires an effort by the whole society. Governments and parliaments alone cannot do the job. It needs to be a national project owned by everyone -- the parliament, the opposition, civil society, every region, town and village, and ultimately, every single citizen,” she added.