Activities of Danuta Maria HÜBNER related to 2023/2114(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on deepening EU integration in view of future enlargement
Amendments (32)
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
– having regard to the European Commission EU Enlargement Package of 8 November 2023,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 b (new)
Citation 5 b (new)
– having regard to the European Commission Analytical report on Ukraine’s alignment with the EU acquis of 2 February 2023, European Commission Analytical report on Moldova’s alignment with the EU acquis of 2 February 2023, European Commission Analytical report on Georgia’s alignment with the EU acquis of 2 February 2023,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 c (new)
Citation 5 c (new)
– having regard to EU Association Agreement with Albania of 1 April 2009, Association Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina of 1 June 2015, Association Agreement with Georgia of 1 July 2016, Association Agreement with Kosovo of 1 April 2016, Association Agreement with Moldova of 1 July 2016, Association Agreement with Montenegro of 1 May 2010, Association Agreement with North Macedonia of 1 April 2004, Association Agreement with Serbia of 1 September 2013, Association Agreement with Turkey of 1 December 1964, Association Agreement with Ukraine of 1 September 2017,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 5 October 2023 on taking stock of Moldova’s path to the EU,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
– having regard to its recommendation of 23 November 2022 to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the new EU strategy for enlargement,
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 23 June 2022 on the candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia,
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 c (new)
Citation 8 c (new)
– having regard to the final recommendations from the Conference on the Future of Europe,
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas eight out of the ten countries currently aspiring to join the EU have candidate status, some of them since many years ago; whereas those candidate countries find themselves at various stages of the accession process and negotiations; whereas the countries of the Western Balkans have for decades stated their determination to join the EU; whereas candidnlargement is the process whereby countries join the EU after they have fulfilled a set of political and economic conditions; whereas the process encourages democratic and economic reforms in countries that want to become EU members and promotes greater status has also recently been granted to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldovability and prosperity in Europe;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas enlargements had taken place in parallel to integration deepening, which contributed towards reducing differentiation between national policies, options and discretions, with relatively less success when it comes to politically sensitive policy areas;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas eight out of the ten countries currently aspiring to join the EU have candidate status, some of them since many years ago; whereas those candidate countries find themselves at various stages of the accession process and negotiations; whereas the countries of the Western Balkans have for decades stated their determination to join the EU; whereas candidate status has also recently been granted to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas the full and unequivocal commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans was reconfirmed by EU leaders on 23-24 June 2022;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas enlargement is a win-win process and has been a very effective and successful instrument for boosting the necessary reforms both within the EU and in applicant countries, helping to encourage democratic transformation; whereas effectiveness of neighborhood and enlargement policies has considerably diminished over the last decade;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas there are considerable differences in the level of preparedness to join the European Union among the aspiring countries;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas accession to the EU must always be a merit-based procedure whereby each applicant is assessed on their own merit in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria, in particularcluding those of ensuring full respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law; whereas positive outcomes should be sought as quickly as possible, while avoiding fast-tracking or counterproductive fixed deadlines;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas accession to the EU requires ambitious integration agenda from both sides, the EU and the candidate countries;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas candidate countries must also demonstrate their adherence to the fundamental values of the EU byand aligningment with the common foreign and security policy;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas enlargement widens space of democracy in Europe;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas under the current institutional framework, the EU already faces considerable challenges in crisis management and strategic decision- making; whereas it is clear that the EU institutions and decision-making mechanisms weare not designedunfit for a Union that could be composed of up to 37with growing number of Member States; whereas before the next enlargement takes place, significant pre- enlargement reforms are needed to guarantee that the EU is able to absorb new members and to promote their successful integration; whereas this implies significant changes in the EU’s institutional framework, including to decision-making procedures, and the possible introductionadvancement of differentiated integration solutions; whereas some of those solutions have been discussed for some time already; whereas in order to achieve this, the EU should take full advantage of the flexibility afforded by the Treaty of Lisbon and consider the possibility of treaty change, including via adaptations introduced by the accession treaties;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the Union’s credibility and ability to act in a timely and effective manner depends on efficient decision- making, and even more so in an enlarged EU of 30 or more Member States; whereas efficient decision-making leading to timely and coordinated internal and external action is vital for safeguarding the EU’s interests and its global geopolitical leadership; whereas recent difficulties with EU decisions on sanctions confirm benefits of moving away from unanimity; whereas reform of the EU’s governance structures, with simplified decision-making procedures, must be discussed and adopted in parallel with the ongoing accession negotiations;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas enlargement is alsoposes a major challenge for EU’s financial sustainability, in particular regarding cohesion and agriculture policies; whereas the current and the next multiannual financial frameworks should be strengthened considerably to enable EU enlargement; whereas this financial groundwork must be in place before enlargement takes place;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
K a. whereas, in the context of enlargement, there is a need to look in the holistic way at the review of policies announced during the State of the Union address 2023, structural reforms, institutional changes and MFF 2028- 2034;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that enlargement is of the utmost strategic importance for the EU, and all the more so in the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; emphasizes the political urgency of demonstrating to Russia the EU commitment to the new international political order on the European continent; stresses that an enhanced enlargement policy has become the strongest geopolitical tool at the EU’s disposal; points out that enlargement is a strategic investment in peace, security and prosperity, as well as a driver for democracy and European values on the continent;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Underlines the importance of the appeal of the President of European Council, Charles Michel, to the European Union and aspiring countries to be ready for enlargement by 2030, implying the need of taking the accession of new Member States into account during preparation of the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework; recognizes the relevance of indicative timeline of enlargement for the purpose of mobilizing the preparation of the European Union and candidate countries for this process;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Considers that the process of preparing the European Union for enlargement and accession negotiations should take place in parallel;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Endorses using the European elections 2024 as an opportunity to discuss with European citizens the process of widening and deepening of the European Union;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses that excessive delays or second tier status on the way to the full EU membership can negatively impact both public opinion and political commitment of candidate countries;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines that accession to the EU must always be a merit-based procedure and that each applicant must be assessed on their own merit in fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria and in ensuring full respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law; stresses that while positive outcomes should be sought as quickly as possible, there should be no fast-track or fixed deadlines for membership; underscores that there can be no short-cuts on fundamental values; points out that alignment with the common foreign and security policy is also a way of showing full adherence to the EU’s fundamental principles and an important indicator for sustainable future membership;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that there is a need for stronger parliamentary oversight of the EU’s enlargement policy; insists on strengthening the role of Parliament throughout the entire accession process, including allowing it to scrutinise fully the progress made by the candidate countries across policy fields; underlines that regular dialogue and cooperation between the European Parliament and the national parliaments of candidate countries should be encouraghanced;
Amendment 400 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that historically differentiated integration ishas been a part of the solution for an efficient and deepened enlarged EU; underlines, however, that respect for the Union’s values as set out in Article 2 TEU should not be subject to any derogations or opt-outare non-negotiable; underlines the risk of negative consequences for differentiated citizens’ rights resulting from non-participation of a Member State in certain policies or policy measures; considers also that a broad area of European common ground must always be ensured, covering areas such as the Customs Union, the single market and its four freedoms, the core social acquis, and agricultural, competition and trade policies; notes that beyond this common ground, Member States willing to move European integration forward should be allowed to do so; underlines that under such a system of differentiated integration, while all Member States would take part in decisions about issues in the area of common ground, only Member States willing to participate in areas of deepened integration would take part in the decisions concerned; notes that differentiated integration also implies differentiated financial arrangements;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that institutional pre- enlargement reforms must also address the implications of enlargement on the composition of Parliament; recalls that the European Parliament is already one of the largest parliaments in the world and underlines that in any case it must remain at a workable scale; points out, however, that a reasonable increase in the size of Parliament cannot be ruled out in order to ensure sufficient democratic representativeness; insistsconsiders the possibility onf a new system for seat allocation based on a permanent mathematical formula;
Amendment 453 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that enlargement is a major financial challenge for the EU, in particular regarding cohesion and agriculture policies; point out that this challenge cannot be met without a largermore effective EU budget and sufficient own resources; notes that this adds to growing demands on EU funding in the fields of financial stability, health, energy, decarbonisation, digital, research and defence and security; underlines that such financial reforms must be discussed in parallel with the ongoing accession negotiations and adopted before enlargement takes place; defends its position that the current and future multiannual financial frameworks should be strengthened considerably to enable EU enlargement, and that this financial groundwork must be in place before enlargement takes place;
Amendment 470 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Points out that the reconstruction and post-war recovery of Ukraine is an additional financi multidimensional challenge to be addressed in the wider context of an international effort; stresses that, unlike in the case of one-donor Marshall fund, in Ukraine funds will be coming from many international sources to a variety of worthy projects; underlines that these investments will come with associated financial risk; urges that this process should be carefully planned, organized, monitored and embedded in a well- designed, tailored made legislative framework, that is corruption and fraud proof;