The European Political Community. A new anchoring to the European Union

For this to come into fruition and to enable the EU to find an appropriate response to the In short and under Maastricht-based ter- current challenges, it is of the utmost impor- minology, the candidates for previous tance that lessons are learned from the failure enlargements were able to be quickly pre- of François Mitterrand’s initiative, to which pared for accession to the second (CFSP) and Pr. [...] European construction and within the EU’s scope, from which it borrows the tools.6 In short, unlike the neighbourhood policy Other names remain possible, however, such model (“Everything but the institutions”), as the European Confederation or the Euro- the model proposed here would fit in with the pean Democratic Area, as a counterpart to principle of “Institutions first” in order to qui- the Eur. [...] Programmes country must be on the European conti- such as Erasmus+ and the European Volun- nent, under the same conditions required tary Service and all programmes that are for the EU, must fully comply with the first already accessible to them through the of the “Copenhagen Criteria” and ratify association agreements with the EU should the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the be stepped up to fur. [...] thematic cooperation initiatives, the inte- gration of the various “components” of the I BORDERS rights and duties of a Member State, should be subject to clear and strict conditionality, The risk of a long and imperfectly resolved and should include reversibility instruments, conflict in Ukraine results in a risk of this activated in the event of obvious regression country taking part in the EPC. [...] I WESTERN BALKANS I DEFENCE Out of the six countries of the Western Which security guarantees can the Political Balkans, two are in a later stage of the acces- Community provide to its members which sion negotiations (Serbia and Montenegro) have not joined NATO? The question is of and two should begin negotiations in the the utmost importance for the credibility near future (Albania and North Mace.