US or Russia should not dictate EU’s enlargement timeline, says French minister

The European Union should not be pressured into admitting new members based on pressure from Russia, the United States or any foreign power, France’s Europe minister told POLITICO.

“No power outside the EU should decide on enlargement in place of the Member States,” said Benjamin Haddad, who represents France at meetings on enlargement with other EU countries.

Haddad’s comments coincide with a push by the European Commission and some EU states to bring Ukraine into the bloc on a much shorter timeline than has been normal for countries seeking membership in the bloc. 

The push from Brussels is partly motivated by the fact that EU membership is a bargaining chip in ongoing U.S.-led peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeking EU membership by 2027. Accession is a carrot for Ukrainians who may be called upon to accept difficult compromises in any peace deal.

But Haddad’s comments suggest that France does not want the EU’s enlargement schedule to be dictated by foreign powers or geopolitical circumstances. “Neither the United States nor Russia” should have any influence over EU enlargement policy, he added.

Paris is in favor of Ukraine joining the bloc. Ukraine, Moldova and Western Balkan countries — widely seen as part of a future enlargement wave — should not be left “in a gray zone, vulnerable to foreign influence and aggression,” added the centrist minister, whose office sits in the foreign ministry.

The push from Brussels is partly motivated by the fact that EU membership is a bargaining chip in ongoing U.S.-led peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeking EU membership by 2027. | Andriy Zhyhaylo/Oboz.ua/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

However, France is less favorable to proposals to change the way Europe admits new members, for example by granting them fewer privileges upon entry and then building them up in a phased accession process. “This enlargement must remain demanding and merit-based to ensure its success and credibility,” said Haddad.

Buy European

The 40-year-old minister also weighed into a debate about how the EU should allocate resources as part of a push to bolster competitiveness, endorsing the idea of a “European preference” for future investments in the EU’s long-term budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework.

“Why should we be more naive than the Americans, who have long implemented Buy American policies?” he asked. “European preference should be a cross-cutting rule of the MFF.”

He also threw his weight behind the idea of EU countries borrowing money jointly to support innovation and back industrial champions — a subject of disagreement with so-called “frugal” countries, including Germany, which argue that investment needs can be met via the MFF.

“We must … consider a new targeted common borrowing capacity focused on investment in disruptive innovation, in particular in defense or AI/quantum capabilities,” Haddad said, adding that joint borrowing would be an ideal way to get around fiscal constraints facing many EU states.

The 40-year-old minister also weighed into a debate about how the EU should allocate resources as part of a push to bolster competitiveness, endorsing the idea of a “European preference” for future investments in the EU’s long-term budget. | Daniel Perron/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

“In a constrained budgetary context, this is a way to invest without immediately increasing national contributions,” he added, recalling that a landmark report by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi called for €800 billion per year in public and private investment to help Europe catch up with technologically-advanced rivals.

Haddad also criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for moving ahead with the Mercosur trade deal, which is opposed by France. “This move disregards the members of the European Parliament and the interinstitutional agreement,” he said. “This is a bad signal from the Commission for both our farmers and European citizens at large.”