Brussels, 7 October 2023 (MIA) - The prospect of EU enlargement by 2030 exists "if" candidate countries are ready, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.  

"I very much disagree with this date. It’s not a question of when countries will be ready. It's a question of whether countries will be ready," Rutte said, commenting on the 2030 enlargement goal put forth by European Council President Charles Michel. 

Rutte underlind the importance of the EU's painstaking enlargement process, which requires EU hopefuls to align themselves with the Union's acquis to move forward.

"There should be absolutely no exceptions when it comes to meeting the EU's conditions for accession," Rutte added.  

The Dutch PM also questioned whether the EU is ready to accept new members altogether. 

"The EU already has 27 member states and if more countries are added, decision-making and all kinds of other matters will become even more complicated," Rutte said.

The issue of EU reforms before the next enlargement has been among the main topics in the Union for some time now, particularly in terms of decision-making procedures, the bloc's budget, sanctions for violations of the principles of the rule of law, as well as the idea of ​​"gradual integration" of candidate countries before their accession.

Rutte's statement comes amid a campaign for early parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, scheduled for November, MIA's Brussels correspondent reports.

Current polls suggest a tight race between center-left PvdA (S&D Group) and GroenLinks (Greens), led by former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans, Rutte's People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the anti-establishment New Social Contract (NSC) party led by Pieter Omtzigt.   

While the VVD and PvdA/GL both stress the need to adhere to EU membership criteria in their electoral platforms, the latter appears more open to enlargement, stating that it will "encourage, reward  and actively support real reforms", while Rutte's party is firm that EU candidate countries will be assessed on the basis of results achieved. NSC has not yet presented its electoral platform.

Photo: MIA archive