Berlin, 21 May 2026 (MIA) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote a letter to the European Union leaders proposing a new, dynamic and innovative strategy to accelerate the accession process. The plan, seen by international media, includes gradual integration and privileged access to key European mechanisms for the Western Balkans countries and Moldova, while a specific “associate membership” status is proposed for Ukraine.

The letter was sent to the President of the European Council António Costa, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, Nikos Christodoulides. According to Merz, the enlargement of the European Union is a “geopolitical necessity,” but also a process that takes “much too long” due to which urgent and bold steps are necessary to preserve the momentum for reforms.

New solutions and institutional benefits for the Western Balkans

Regarding the region, German Chancellor Merz stresses that the European Union should stand firm in its promise that the Western Balkans countries and Moldova have a secure European future. He openly proposes the introduction of innovative solutions for candidate countries that have long been preparing for membership, with the aim of significantly accelerating their accession path.

The German proposal for the Western Balkans includes several key pillars:

Privileged access to the Internal Market: Depending on their progress in implementing domestic reforms, countries in the region would gain direct access to sectors of the European Union single market and to European programmes, bringing immediate economic benefits for citizens and businesses.

Institutional integration: Instead of remaining fully isolated until the day of full membership, the Western Balkans would be granted observer status with closer ties with the European institutions in the daily decision-making process in Brussels.

Joint sessions: The senior German official explained that the plan envisages the introduction of regular joint sessions of the European Commission or the European Parliament, in which representatives of the Western Balkans countries would participate.

Gradual Integration: This model could be established by building blocs which could be the basis for full application of the respective policy areas, and then be accompanied by increased support in the process of implementing the acquis.

According to Merz, such an approach would bring candidate countries significantly closer to the European Union and spark a new ambition for implementing the necessary reforms in the rule of law and minority rights.

The initiative from Berlin comes just ahead of the Western Balkans summit set to take place in Montenegro in early June, and follows a recent confidential document from five EU member states that also proposed a “merit-based access” to the European single market.

However, certain diplomatic obstacles are already emerging in Brussels. Member states belonging to the informal group the Friends of the Western Balkans, led by Austria, oppose the idea of granting Ukraine privileged and different treatment compared to countries from the region that have been waiting for years at the EU’s doorstep, such as frontrunners Montenegro and Albania.

Specific “associate membership” model for Ukraine

In the second part of the letter, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz elaborates in detail on the model for Ukraine, describing it as a response to the country’s specific wartime situation. Merz proposes granting Ukraine the status of an “associate member” in order to immediately integrate it into the institutional framework, even though it is clear that full membership will not happen quickly due to numerous obstacles and complex ratification procedures across the 27 member states.

This proposal, which Merz has already discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the informal summit in Cyprus, envisages the following specifics:

Participation without voting rights: The Ukrainian leader would attend EU summits, while the country would have its own representative in the European Commission (as a commissioner without portfolio) and representatives in the European Parliament, though all would be without voting rights.

Security guarantees: Ukraine would be covered by the EU’s mutual assistance clause, a provision considered vital for the country given that the United States has largely closed the door to its membership in NATO.

Financing: Ukraine would also directly benefit from and gain access to parts of the EU’s common budget.

Snap-back mechanism: If Ukraine fails to uphold rule-of-law standards, the associate membership status would be immediately revoked.

The German government insists that this is not a “membership light” version, but rather an intermediate step and a strong incentive for negotiations. The debate on rapid enlargement towards Ukraine has been revived following signals of progress in peace talks between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia, where 2027 was mentioned as a possible date for integration - a timeline European diplomats consider unrealistic if standard bureaucratic procedures are followed.

Additional optimism in Brussels regarding the acceleration of processes has also been driven by the replacement of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán by his rival Péter Magyar, thereby removing one of the major obstacles to the integration of Ukraine, media reports note.

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