Brussels, 29 August 2023 (MIA) - The EU enlargement is a political priority for the European Commission, but it is a merit-based process, European Commission Deputy Spokesperson Dana Spinant said at a daily press briefing Tuesday. She pointed out that the European Commission is not focused on a date, but on working closely with the candidate countries to get ready for joining the EU. She added that Michel had not consulted Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the content of his enlargement speech Monday at the summit in Bled, Slovenia. 

"The enlargement is a priority and a political priority for us," Spinant said, highlighting the European Commission's commitment to making the next waves of enlargement a success. She noted that enlargement is a merit-based process, which means that candidates should join the European Union when ready. Spinant added that the European Commission is not commenting on what partners or other stakeholders are saying. 

"I can simply state our position and our vision of enlargement and how the process is best managed. The key word for us and the bottom line for us is that enlargement is merit-based and should stay merit-based," she stressed. 

Asked whether the EU is ready for the enlargement or there should be some internal reforms, even institutional reforms or treaty reforms and when the debate should take place, Spinant said that the enlargement requires both candidate countries and the EU to prepare. 

"It would be improper at this stage for me to speculate or go more on the substance of such preparation on the European Union's side," she said. 

She added that the EC is expecting to have such a debate at leaders' level at the Granada informal summit convened by the Spanish Presidency of the EU in the following weeks. 

Asked whether the EC already has a date when it will come out with the progress report on candidate countries foreseen in October, she said there is no specific date but it is around October. 

In response to a comment that plenty of statements have been made on the enlargement, but nothing concrete has happened in the process in the last several years, and a question on whether setting a date would really encourage candidate countries to speed up their reforms and fulfill the criteria and the EU to prepare itself to absorb them, Spinant said the European Commission is not focused on a date, but on working very closely with the candidate countries to get ready for joining the EU. 

"We are focused on supporting them on the reforms, we are focused on the investments that are helping them transform their economies and get closer to the regulatory requirements that are important to fulfill before joining the European Union," she noted. 

According to her, beyond Ukraine and Moldova, the Western Balkans are a major priority for the European Union. She added that the EC hopes that each candidate country will be motivated to implement the reforms and to be ready to accede at their own pace, reiterating that it is a merit-based process.