European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, speaking at the University of Fribourg's Europa Tag on 30 April 2026, urged a new generation of European leaders to deploy what she called Jean Monnet's 'weapons of imagination' to restructure the continent in response to geopolitical shocks, including Russia's war against Ukraine and the second Trump presidency. Kos outlined four evolutions in EU enlargement policy: candidate countries now seek membership for protection as much as economic gain; some candidates, such as Moldova and Ukraine, are already net security providers; ambition and speed have returned to the process; and the EU must structure relations with partners that may not join, such as Turkey and Switzerland, around shared security and economic interests.
Kos framed her speech around the historical successes of European integration, from the Schuman Declaration of 1950 to the 2004 enlargement, arguing that each era required political imagination to overcome fear and suspicion. She noted that the 2004 enlargement brought prosperity — Poland's GDP per capita rose from 40% to over 80% of the EU average — but warned that democratic backsliding in Hungary showed the Union's Achilles heel. 'We have not been able to prevent it,' she said, adding that the EU is determined to prevent future erosion of rule of law.
Turning to current dynamics, Kos highlighted that defence spending in Europe has risen by nearly 80% since before the war in Ukraine, and the EU has signed security partnerships with the UK, Norway, Iceland, Canada, Japan and Australia. She also pointed to new trade agreements with Mercosur, India, Australia and Indonesia as part of a strategy to diversify and de-risk trade relations.
On enlargement, Kos reported that in the last 18 months more progress had been made than in the previous 15 years, driven by Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova. She noted that the recent Hungarian elections had unblocked a €90 billion support loan for Ukraine and a new sanctions package against Russia, and that EU member states had agreed to start drafting Montenegro's Accession Treaty — the first such step since 2009. 'It is now a very realistic possibility that the European Union will grow within the coming years,' she said.
Kos also addressed relations with Turkey, whose accession negotiations have been frozen since 2019, describing it as an important security player in the Black Sea region. She highlighted the emerging peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan as opening a new transport corridor between Europe and Asia, reminiscent of how coal and steel integration brought post-war Europe together.
Regarding Switzerland, Kos emphasised the deep integration of the country into the EU's single market and Schengen area, and welcomed the new bilateral agreements signed this year. 'When we tackle those challenges, we want to do it together with you,' she said.
The speech contained few concrete numerical targets or new institutional proposals beyond the general call for faster integration and the mention of a possible European Defence Union open to partners, an idea raised by Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius. Kos's policy orientation is clearly expansionist and integrationist, advocating for a more assertive EU that uses enlargement and partnerships as tools for security and geopolitical influence. On foreign policy, the speech shifts the status quo towards a more conciliatory approach to candidate countries and partners, treating them as equals and security providers, while maintaining a firm stance against Russia and autocratic influences.
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