Paris, 29 November 2023 – On Tuesday evening, at a dinner of heads of state and government hosted by President of the European Council Charles Michel in Paris, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that Estonia strongly supports the enlargement of the European Union, which must go hand in hand with the necessary reforms and the strengthening of the defence readiness and competitiveness of the EU.
The debate on the future and enlargement of the European Union, which also included French President Emmanuel Macron, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Portuguese Prime Minister António da Costa, is part of a wider political debate on how to ensure the capacity of the European Union to accept new members and what the strategic objectives of the union are for the next five years. The approval of the new EU Strategic Agenda is scheduled for June 2024.
According to Kaja Kallas, the focus must be on how to increase the capacity of the European Union to adapt to new challenges in the fields of security and economy. “The defence readiness of the European Union, its ability to cope with crises, to make the necessary changes, be it the green transition or the digital transition, and the development of the single market must ensure that the EU continues to meet the expectations of its citizens,” the prime minister said. “We need an action plan on how to increase defence investments and develop the defence industry, and to ensure that Ukraine has our sufficient support to win the war,” she added.
Kallas expressed her conviction that the enlargement of the European Union is good for its competitiveness. “With the new members, the population of the European Union would increase by 14%, and the single market would expand significantly. But to really unlock this potential, we need to ensure fair competition and develop secure connections so that all businesses, regardless of where they come from, can grow equally.” She stressed that the enlargement of the EU and the necessary reforms should go hand in hand.
The decision on whether to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, on the recommendation of the European Commission, is to be taken by EU leaders at the European Council in mid-December.
