A group of five founding members of the European Union — Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany — are calling for stricter safeguards to be
embedded in future enlargement treaties, including mechanisms that could limit the voting rights of new member states if they fail to meet their obligations.
The proposal, outlined in a paper obtained by Belga, reflects growing concern among the bloc’s core countries about maintaining institutional stability as the EU prepares for a new wave of expansion.
The five governments describe enlargement as a “geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity,” while emphasising that candidate countries must be given a “clear perspective” on membership. At the same time, they argue that the Union needs stronger tools to ensure that new entrants uphold its fundamental values once admitted.
Central to their proposal is the idea of a “catalogue” of tailored measures that could be incorporated into accession treaties. These would be designed to respond to specific risks linked to individual candidate countries and to preserve the EU’s ability to function effectively after enlargement.
Among the most far-reaching ideas is a call for an “in-depth discussion” on temporarily restricting voting rights for new members during a transitional period. Such restrictions could apply to policy areas requiring unanimity, including foreign policy decisions and the EU’s multiannual budget.
The paper also suggests simplifying the Article 7 procedure — the EU’s main rule-of-law enforcement mechanism — so that voting rights could be suspended more easily during this transitional phase, without requiring unanimity among member states.
Beyond voting rights, the five countries are pushing for additional safeguards aimed at enforcing compliance with rule-of-law standards, democratic principles and media freedom. These could include suspending cooperation at different institutional levels in cases of serious breaches.
They also propose a binding “protective clause” that would allow the EU to respond if a new member state experiences a “serious regression” in rule-of-law standards during its early years of membership.
Another element of the plan is a requirement for strict adherence to the principle of sincere cooperation between member states. The principle has gained renewed attention amid disputes within the bloc, including tensions involving Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán previously obstructed EU-level decisions related to financial support for Ukraine.
The debate comes as discussions on reforming EU enlargement rules gain momentum across the bloc, more than a decade after Croatia became the 28th member state of the EU. Candidate countries such as Montenegro are currently furthest along in the accession process, while the broader enlargement agenda — including potential future members such as Ukraine — remains politically sensitive among existing member states.