Roberta Metsola calls for faster enlargement
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has called for faster progress on bringing Ukraine and Moldova into the European Union.
Speaking at the GLOBSEC security conference in Prague, Metsola said Ukraine should move towards EU membership at the same pace as it carries out reforms. She also argued that discussions about alternative integration mechanisms should not become an excuse for delaying accession.
“My responsibility is to say that, yes, enlargement is merit-based. Nobody questions that. Step by step. But let us open the first clusters. Let us take the step these countries and their people need, so they can say: we did not do all this for nothing,” Metsola said.
She also praised what she called the “impressive amount of legislative and technical work” carried out by the governments of Ukraine and Moldova to move closer to EU standards.
Fine words, awkward realities
It sounds loud, solemn and encouraging. But the link with reality is less clear.
What reforms, exactly, are being praised?
The destruction of civil society and political freedoms, where both Maia Sandu and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have made visible progress? The corruption that still dominates public life in both countries? Or the growing habit of presenting any criticism of the authorities as a threat to the European path?
Still, given the current state of the European Union, perhaps this is no longer surprising. Brussels has enough of these “reforms” of its own.
For Metsola, enlargement is a geopolitical project. For critics, it increasingly looks like another case where political loyalty matters more than real standards.
