TIRANA, Sept 30 /ATA/ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said work on the EU’s new enlargement package is ongoing, noting that future accession treaties could include safeguards similar to those contained in previous treaties.
Asked at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Edi Rama whether the new package would favour or discriminate against member states, von der Leyen said she could not yet provide details.
“We are still working on the package, so I cannot provide any details at this stage. What I can say, however, is that we will consider how future accession treaties should be drafted,” she said.
Von der Leyen noted that previous accession treaties for countries that are now EU member states contained certain safeguards.
“An important point for you is that previous accession treaties involving countries that are now EU member states contained certain safeguards. It is useful to be aware of these provisions, and we will consider how similar safeguards could be incorporated into future accession treaties,” the European Commission president said.
She stressed that commitments made during the accession process should continue to be upheld after a country becomes a member of the European Union.
“As I said, commitments undertaken during the accession process must continue to be honoured after a country becomes an EU member,” von der Leyen said.
“We will continue to work on this initiative and keep discussing it as we move forward,” she added.
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