EU must prepare for a future with more than 30 members: German foreign minister

BELGRADE, Serbia

The European Union should prepare for a future with more than 30 members, up from its current 27, Germany’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

“The EU must prepare for a future with more than 30 members through reforms,” Annalena Baerbock told a joint press conference alongside her counterpart Tanja Fajon in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

On the Israel-Palestine conflict in the Middle East, Baerbock said: “Only when the pain of one side is relieved, the pain of the other side can also be relieved.”

Fajon echoed her sentiments on a larger EU, calling expansion a “geostrategic necessity.”

The top Slovenian diplomat expressed hope that the EU will give important signals about expansion to the Western Balkans by the end of summer 2024.

Baerbock and Fajon also announced that they are planning a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina together next summer.

The two top diplomats also attended a roundtable on EU enlargement in times of global crisis.

Baerbock visited the National Logistics Center in the city of Roje with Fajon, where she saw flood protection equipment and learned about the operation of the high-volume pumping unit, which is part of the EU’s civil protection mechanism.

During her visit, Baerbock is also set to meet with Prime Minister Robert Golob.

The EU’s last great expansion was before 2010, but the bloc has been keen to take in Western Balkans countries, in part to make sure they do not fall under the influence of other world powers.

• European Union