Franco-German experts unveiled a proposal for sweeping structural reforms to the European Union as pressure builds to bring in new member countries by the end of the decade, reports Politico.
The report, commissioned by the EU’s two biggest countries, aims to overhaul rules and prepare to govern in a union of 30 or more nations.
The authors envision an model EU in four concentric circles.
“1. The inner circle; 2. The EU; 3. Associate members; 4. The European Political Community [a loose association of European leaders that meet twice a year to talk],” they write.
EU ministers are discussing the paper on Wednesday, preparing the ground for an upcoming summit of national leaders in October where enlargement is expected to top the agenda.
“It’s clear that EU enlargement and EU reform go hand in hand. And we need to begin with this now,” Germany’s Europe minister Anna Lührmann told reporters in Brussels.