Bled, 29 August 2023 (MIA) - The next EU enlargement is possible even before 2030, but the Union needs to reform first, French Minister of State for Europe Laurence Boone told a panel discussion as part of the Bled Strategic Forum. 

Boone's message comes after Monday's statement by European Council President Charles Michel that the EU must be ready for enlargement by 2030, as well as after French President Emmanuel Macron's statement at the annual gathering of French ambassadors in Paris that the EU should consider 'multi-speed Europe' to cope with enlargement. 

According to Boone, Macron's statement doesn't mean closed doors for candidate countries. 

"We are 27, we might be even more than 35, hopefully as fast as possible. I know that Charles Michel said 2030, could be faster. But what we need is to reform ourselves, and for the candidate countries to be also reforming themselves. We may not have done that very well in the past, and we may want to be a lot more involved and helpful and dynamic in this enlargement process to avoid any fatigue and to make the benefits of being a future EU member much more tangible to the candidate countries. That is our duties," Boone said.

Photo: FB Bled Strategic Forum