A future vision of European Union depicts UK as 'EU lite' member

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
20 Sep 2023 11:01
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Academics, commissioned by France and Germany to study potential reforms to the EU, propose four-tiered EU membership.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers her annual speech on the state of the European Union at the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, eastern France on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 (AP)

A group of academics, commissioned by France and Germany to explore future reforms for the European Union, has put forward a vision of a more diversified EU membership structure that would expand the bloc, The Guardian reported.

The proposal, which includes an "EU lite" category tailored for countries like the UK, arrives at a critical juncture as the EU grapples with the implications of the Ukraine war and the prospect of expanding its membership to as many as 36 countries.

The report, presented on Tuesday, urges EU institutions to implement a series of reforms by 2030 to accommodate potential new members, such as Ukraine.

France and Germany, as key European heavyweights, are seeking to streamline the EU's operations in preparation for what could be its most substantial expansion in decades.

It is important to note that the report does not represent the official positions of Germany or France but serves as a foundational document for discussions among 46 European countries and an informal gathering of the 27 EU leaders scheduled for consecutive days in October in Granada, Spain.

Germany's Europe Minister, Anna Lührmann, who jointly presented the report in Brussels with her French counterpart, emphasized the importance of preparing the EU for expansion. "It is clear the enlargement of the EU is in all our interests," Lührmann stated.

One of the key proposals of the study involves establishing different tiers of membership:

Inner Circle: Comprising countries with "deep integration" in areas such as the Eurozone and the Schengen area.
Current EU members: Present members of the European Union.
Associate Members: Allowing participation in the single market, potentially including countries like Norway.
EU lite members: Designed for countries like the UK, involving "political cooperation" without being bound to EU law.