France and Germany are proposing to accelerate the integration of Moldova and the Balkans into the EU

France and Germany are advocating for providing Moldova and the countries of the Western Balkans with new opportunities on their path to European Union membership. The initiative calls for the gradual integration of candidate countries into specific EU policies, institutions, and the single market even before the full accession process is completed. According to Berlin and Paris, this approach will help accelerate these countries’ convergence with the European Union.

Germany and France have proposed a new approach to preparing Moldova and the Western Balkan states for EU accession, which involves gradual, simplified integration into EU activities—and have called on the European Commission to draft proposals.

The analytical document, dated June 4, 2026, was prepared ahead of the EU-Balkans summit on June 5 and the EU-Moldova summit on June 22.

France and Germany are effectively proposing a new approach to EU enlargement for Moldova and the Balkans. The “process-oriented” approach aims to “remove formalized obstacles to intermediate stages and simplify the current methodology (by combining certain procedural steps).” 

In particular, France and Germany called on other member states to “facilitate the opening of all relevant negotiation clusters where proposed by the European Commission” for Moldova and the Balkans, and then to focus “on the substance of reforms rather than procedural steps.”

"We propose a pre-accession strategy containing a toolkit with a set of structural elements that effectively bring candidate countries closer to the EU through more structured, gradual integration, thereby providing additional incentives for reforms," the document states.

This should include, among other things, privileged access to the EU internal market and closer ties with European institutions in the day-to-day decision-making process. 

The authors of the analysis assert that their intention “is not to replace full EU membership or prolong the path to it, but rather the opposite”—they want to create incentives that will facilitate faster progress along this path. 

“We invite the Commission to present proposals to facilitate the gradual integration of candidate countries on their path to EU accession,” the text states.

What specifically is proposed for Moldova and the Western Balkans:

1. Joint meetings of the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament with representatives of the Western Balkan countries and Moldova (twice a year), as well as joint activities within parliamentary committees. 

2. Participation in the discussion of specific agenda items at informal meetings of the European Council and the Council of the EU as an observer without voting rights.

3. Enhanced cooperation in the field of security and defense, including security and defense partnerships, enhanced cooperation with Frontex, and integration into the EU Cybersecurity Agency and the EU Early Warning System for Cyberattacks. 

4. Participation in key EU programs and initiatives.

5. Sectoral integration into the Single Market in the following areas: SEPA, Roam Like At Home, the Transport Community, Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA), the energy market, Emissions Trading System, “green corridors,” integration into EU policies on competitiveness/industrial strategies/critical raw materials, Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status, Digital Single Market, more far-reaching agreements on sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), further reduction of non-tariff trade barriers, exemption from certain safeguard measures (similar to EEA countries). 

6. Full participation in the Single Market based on the European Economic Area+ (EEA+) – subject to the adoption and implementation of legislative requirements for clusters 1 through 5 and the provisional closure of the relevant negotiation chapters, without prejudice to transition periods and safeguard measures.