Scholz Pushes To Add Up To Nine New EU Members

Politico Europe reports:

The EU should significantly expand but must first undergo fundamental reforms to ensure an enlarged bloc can still function, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday.

During an hour-long speech at Charles University in Prague, Scholz outlined his vision for an EU of the future — one that has absorbed up to nine new members on its eastern edge, extended its visa-free travel zone and overhauled the way it makes basic decisions on everything from foreign policy to taxation.

Specifically, Scholz supported EU membership for Western Balkan countries, as well as war-torn Ukraine, neighboring Moldova and nearby Georgia. He also argued that EU members Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria have met the criteria for admission to Europe’s Schengen area, which allows for easy, visa-free travel between countries.

Read the full article.