The European Commission is preparing proposals for reforming the EU enlargement process, which should become the basis of the strategic discussion of EU leaders in October 2026. One of the key areas of discussion is the introduction of additional guarantees, which will allow limiting the individual rights of new member states in case they violate their obligations to the EU.
Information about the preparation of the reform is confirmed by the European Commission. On July 6, an EC representative told Euronews that Brussels is working on its own proposals ahead of the October summit, as the discussion on new rules is increasingly being conducted directly by member states.
The European Council has officially confirmed that at a meeting on October 15-16, 2026, EU leaders will hold a strategic discussion on the expansion and internal reforms of the Union. At the same time, there is still no official confirmation that the European Commission will present the final package on October 15.
One of the most discussed options is the temporary limitation of some of the voting rights of the new member states.
Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg back in June offered to discuss the possibility of a transition period during which the new EU members will not be able to block decisions in the most sensitive areas, where unanimity of all is now required countries.
This is primarily about foreign policy, the EU budget and the further expansion of the Union.
In addition, five states propose to include special protection mechanisms in future accession treaties. They will allow measures to be taken against a new member state in the event of a serious departure from the principles of democracy, the rule of law or freedom of the media.
Such proposals are largely related to the experience of Hungary during the time of Viktor Orbán, when Budapest repeatedly used the requirement of unanimity to block EU decisions.
However, so far it is about reform options, and not about new rules that have already been agreed upon.
This is of greatest importance. the discussion has for Montenegro, which is currently the most advanced candidate for accession.
According to the European Commission, the country has opened all 33 negotiation chapters, of which 16 are already temporarily closed. Podgorica aims to complete negotiations and become the 28th member of the European Union in 2028.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in June that Montenegro's accession by 2028 is "achievable." The EU has already started preparing the draft of the future treaty on its accession.
That is why the Montenegrin accession treaty could potentially become the first document of a new generation, which will provide for additional guarantees for the EU after the country's accession.
However, the European Commission fears a situation in which new conditions will be developed exclusively for Montenegro. That is why Brussels wants to form a universal approach that can be applied to the next candidate states.
The reform will be of direct importance for both Ukraine and Moldova.
Negotiations with both countries accelerated significantly in the summer of 2026. In June, the EU opened the first negotiating cluster with Ukraine and Moldova, which deals with the fundamental issues of the rule of law, democratic institutions and public administration. In July, the negotiations advanced in foreign policy directions as well.
At the same time, Ukraine and Moldova are much further from completing the negotiations than Montenegro.
For Kyiv, the future model is particularly important: if the EU really introduces transitional restrictions on the right of veto, Ukraine could potentially gain full membership, but at the first stage it will have limited opportunities to block decisions in certain areas.
At the same time, such a system can facilitate the political alignment of Ukrainian membership within the current EU, as some states fear that the expansion from 27 to more than 30 members will significantly complicate decision-making.
The statement that France, Germany and the Netherlands are generally opposed to rapid EU expansion needs clarification. These countries support further enlargement, but belong to a group of states that require prior strengthening of institutional guarantees and stricter control of the rule of law by future members. Together with Belgium and Luxembourg, they proposed to develop a new template of accession treaties.
France takes a particularly cautious position regarding the accelerated acceptance of Ukraine. In Paris, they fear the budgetary consequences, the impact of the large Ukrainian agricultural sector on the single market and the possible complication of the decision-making system in the enlarged EU.
Germany, on the other hand, actively supports enlargement, but at the same time insists on reforming the European Union itself and considers options for the gradual integration of new states.
In essence, the discussion boils down to an attempt to resolve the contradiction between two tasks.
On the one hand, the geopolitical situation encourages the EU to accelerate the adoption Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova. Brussels sees enlargement as a tool to strengthen European security and limit the influence of Russia and China in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.
On the other hand, existing states do not want to accept new members who, after joining, will be able to use the right of veto to put pressure on other EU countries.
Therefore, the future model may be based on the principle: full membership is granted faster, but some of the political tools of the new state remain limited during the transition period, and the fulfillment of obligations continues to be monitored after introduction
The final parameters of such a system have not yet been agreed upon. The main political discussion should take place at the European Council on October 15-16, 2026, after which it will become clearer which of the proposed mechanisms can be included in the future treaties on the accession of Montenegro, Ukraine, Moldova and other candidates.
