The EU will offer single-market access to candidate countries, provided they agree to stand with the bloc against hostile states and industrial rivals, according to a draft EC proposal obtained by POLITICO.
Candidate countries — some of which have been waiting decades to become EU members — will be offered unprecedented “gradual integration” into the single market, including frictionless trade and access to research programs, while their applications are being worked on, according to the draft plan.
“The single market is the first priority for economic convergence”, reads a review of the “pre-enlargement” benefits to be offered to candidate countries, POLITICO added in the report.
PM Mickoski reiterated on Wednesday that the government stood ready to debate with EC President von der Leyen in Skopje, adding that the arguments were already well-known and unchanged.