The independent German-French group of experts („Group of Twelve“) presented their report on EU reforms to member states at the margins of the General Affairs Council today in Brussels. German Minister of State for Europe, Anna Lührmann, and French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Laurence Boone had launched the group in January 2023.
Entitled „Sailing on High Seas – Reforming and Enlarging the EU for the 21st century“, the report formulates recommendations for EU reforms, rule of law and enlargement. It offers important input to the ongoing European discussion on how to make the EU ready for enlargement.
“The European Union has to prepare for enlargement. Within the next legislative cycle, we must tackle the necessary internal reforms of the EU. The EU needs to enhance its capacity to act, even more with new members joining our Union. To this end, the report delivers valuable impulses. It presents ambitious as well as pragmatic recommendations. Some of them we can advance without changing the treaties, such as the extension of majority voting in foreign policy. It also rightly emphasizes the need to better protect the rule of law. EU enlargement and EU reforms must go hand in hand,” said Minister of State Anna Lührmann.
