As many countries are on the waiting list to join the bloc, European officials talk to Euronews' Sasha Vakulina about corruption, globalisation, and the challenge to expand from authoritarian regimes.
ADVERTISEMENTThe business case for the enlargement of the European Union was on the agenda for an Euronews discussion panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Several countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova are on the waiting list to join the bloc. Yet, they must meet a list of criteria before becoming an official member.
Institutions that guarantee democracy, the rule of law, and protection of minorities, a market economy capable to cope with market forces in the bloc, and being able to respect the EU's political, economic, and monetary union aims, are some of the requirements to enter the bloc.
"Rule of law, anti-corruption, independence of judicial system..We need to talk about this. I think we should now stick to this heart of the European project. Those countries have to show their wish really to respect this because that means predictability, certainty. We can build confidence," Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister, Mariya Gabriel, told Euronews.
Ukrainian Presidential Administration Rostyslav Shurma said there are "nearby regimes," such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea, that want to "test and challenge the existing world order." This is the time to take "bold and strong decisions," he said, adding the expansion of the bloc is one of them, "which really can stop and preserve the normal development of the world."