Key facts
- Germany's Minister of State for Europe, Gunther Krichbaum, proposed a new approach to EU enlargement and budget.
- He suggested associated membership without voting rights for candidate countries like Ukraine and Western Balkan nations.
- Krichbaum believes this would signal commitment and integrate candidates into the EU 'club'.
- He advocates for a tiered 'staircase' system for accession, with full membership as the final goal.
- Krichbaum called for a significant cut to the European Commission's proposed EU budget of 1.7 trillion euros.
- He wants to shift budget priorities from agriculture to security, defense, AI, and competitiveness.
Germany's Minister of State for Europe, Gunther Krichbaum, has called for a fundamental rethink of the European Union's enlargement process and budget. He proposed an 'associated membership' status for candidate countries, which would allow them to participate in European Parliament meetings without voting rights, thereby signaling commitment and integrating them into the EU 'club' without immediate full accession.
Krichbaum criticized the current accession model as an overly difficult 'high jump competition' and advocated for a more gradual, tiered 'staircase' system, emphasizing that full membership remains the ultimate goal. He argued that this approach would be more manageable for countries like Ukraine, Moldova, and those in the Western Balkans.
Regarding the EU budget for 2028-2034, Krichbaum indicated that options are limited and called for significant cuts to the European Commission's proposed spending ceiling. He urged a reprioritization of funds, suggesting a shift away from traditional agricultural policy towards areas like security, defense, cybersecurity, space, artificial intelligence, and competitiveness, which he believes will drive future prosperity. Krichbaum hopes for an agreement on the new budget before the end of 2026.