Our priorities and achievements 2019-2024

Our priorities and achievements 2019-2024
Enlargement: time for next steps
EU planet Europe
No entry without requirements met

The S&D Group has always strongly supported all countries wanting to join the EU, fighting against those EU governments and political forces trying to block further EU enlargement. Our support means that candidate countries must be helped to make the necessary internal reforms to meet the requirements to join the EU. That means ‘no entry without requirements met’. 

Western Balkans

Due to the geopolitical situation, more attention should also be devoted to third countries operating in the Western Balkans. In this context, deepening the alignment of Western Balkans candidate countries to EU foreign and security policies has to be a priority. Accession is about the commitment to EU norms and values, both inside and outside the Union.

Serbia and Montenegro

The S&D Group supports Serbia’s accession bid, but we remain concerned about its democratic credentials. Montenegro, which has opened all the negotiations chapters, has been crippled by political instability over the past year. 

Türkyie

With regard to Türkyie, our group believes that without clear and significant progress in the field of rule of law, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Türkyie, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018. Following the 2023 Turkish Presidential and Parliamentary elections, S&Ds recommend to start a reflection process to find a parallel and realistic framework for EU-Türkiye relations.