EU now 'more assertive' in protecting candidate countries from foreign interference, Kos says

The EU has learnt from its mistakes with the UK and Georgia and is present prepared to beryllium "more assertive" including by investing successful campaigner countries to antagonistic fake narratives, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said.

In a radical interrogation connected Tuesday successful which Euronews took part, Marta Kos said 2025 marked a departure for the mode the European Commission approached enlargement, notably due to the fact that "it was the archetypal clip that we invested resources, we person invested men and women powerfulness to assistance fend disconnected overseas malign interference".

"This included for the archetypal clip the deployment of the EU’s accelerated hybrid effect team," she added.

The beneficiary was Moldova, whose bid to go an EU subordinate authorities was launched conscionable weeks aft Russia rolled its tanks into Ukraine successful its full-scale penetration successful aboriginal 2022.

The state includes the pro-Russian breakaway territory of Transnistria which makes Moldova peculiarly susceptible to hybrid attacks.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu had warned up of parliamentary elections held past period that Russia was spending "hundreds of millions of euros" to sway the ballot distant from pro-European forces.

The EU’s accelerated hybrid effect squad was sent to assistance antagonistic that. Sandu's enactment won a landslide victory.

'We person been better'

For Kos, this is impervious the EU is yet learning from its mistakes: "When the UK decided to person a referendum, the cognition of the European Union has been it's their interior affair, we don't get involved. We didn't adjacent say: 'Please could you stay?'"

"Like Georgia, wherever we already knew that the interference from Russia is high, we didn't help," Kos explained.

Additionally, she said this shows that erstwhile it comes to disinformation, the EU is yet taking Russia to task.

"They person been truly doing a batch of harm, but I'm pleased to accidental that we person been better," the enlargement Commissioner said.

"We person studied their narratives, the Russian narratives well, we turned them astir and usage them successful enactment of Europe. And successful my opinion, this strategical communication, we should beryllium much assertive to support our connection and successful a logic person to home dynamics successful our candidates."

"You know, erstwhile they get the presumption of candidate, it is besides our work to assistance them," she said.

The EU's enlargement main volition adjacent week unveil the Commission's yearly reappraisal of the advancement of campaigner countries successful the accession process.

Moldova is acceptable to person a golden prima for its efforts. Yet contempt the Commission endorsing the opening of negotiations, advancement has stalled for months arsenic its bid is unofficially coupled with Ukraine's. Meanwhile, Kyiv's accession advancement is being blocked by Hungary.

'Can we present arsenic the EU?'

Montenegro and Albania are besides expected to beryllium praised for their continued efforts towards European integration.

Both countries expect to beryllium full-fledged EU members earlier the extremity of the decade, with Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović urging the bloc earlier this period during a acme of leaders successful Copenhagen to commencement drafting the accession treaty.

Overall, Kos, who took bureau successful December 2024, said "2025 was really a bully twelvemonth for enlargement" with "more advancement than successful the past 15 years". She nevertheless warned that "the roadworthy (ahead) has immoderate hurdles".

"Next year, 2026 volition person higher stakes with 1 cardinal question: tin we present arsenic the EU?," she said.

Much volition beryllium connected EU leaders whose unanimous backing is required to o.k. each caller measurement successful the accession process.

A program by European Council President Antonio Costa to tweak the rules by allowing the opening of clusters to beryllium decided by a qualified bulk failed to summation traction past month.

The EU is besides mulling ideas, including gradual integration — whereby dependable advancement would beryllium rewarded with entree to backing and programmes that could beryllium yanked backmost astatine immoderate clip successful lawsuit of backsliding — and imaginable safeguards to guarantee continued unity.

One of those safeguards nether consideration, according to diplomats speaking to Politico, would beryllium to forestall caller members from exercising afloat veto rights.