Franco-German expert proposal on enlargement and institutional reform of the European Union

Zečević Slobodan (Institut za evropske studije, Beograd), szecevic5@gmail.com

In January 2023, the French Secretary of State for Europe, Laurence Boone, and the German Minister for European Integration, Anna Luhrmann, commissioned a group of twelve national experts to propose an institutional reform that would respond to the needs of the enlargement of the European Union. It follows from the proposal of Franco-German experts that progress in the expansion of the European Union until 2030 is necessary, as well as that the admission of a large number of countries is almost excluded. The proposal is important for Serbia, considering that, along with Montenegro, it has advanced the most in the preaccession negotiation process. At the same time, the proposal is also important because it would facilitate institutional adaptation in the work of the European Parliament, the Commission, and the Council, which would enable the inclusion of new members in the European Union.

Keywords: European Union, institutional reform, membership expansion, candidate states, differentiated integration, founding agreements.