Asked in an interview with EurActiv Czech Republic, what has changed in the enlargement process over the last five years, Stefan Fule said:
"Many things. Both Member States and the candidate countries feel exhausted with the slow pace of the enlargement process. First, the latest enlargement, with Romania and Bulgaria, has raised a number of questions about the credibility of the entire process. Because it was the first time the EU has decided to introduce a special mechanism for cooperation and verification for some Member States. The biggest challenge was to restore the lost credibility of the enlargement process. We are forced to expand and tighten the standards. The candidate countries must demonstrate that the legislation adopted is functional. "
"Before I started working for the European Commission, Member States had few tools available to influence or block the enlargement. Now they have more than 100 ways to do this. We do not want to slow down the enlargement process. But any Member State now has more opportunities to monitor the good quality of the preparedness of Member States "Fule added.
"Another step forward is the economic integration of the candidate country. (...) We used to focus on economic growth and job creation only after a country had already become an EU member state. Now we get involved in helping states implement structural reforms in order to bring them closer to the EU at the beginning of the process. Enlargement is not only about ticking selection criteria on paper. It is a process of change and real transformation, " EU Commissioner said.
