The Government says it wants EU enlargement to include new members like Ukraine and select Balkan countries, but acknowledges that such expansion will carry “consequences” for the bloc’s finances and will influence migration patterns.
The remarks were made by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe. He was speaking to reporters at the launch of the Department of Finance’s ‘Future Forty’ document – a long-term fiscal and economic assessment of Ireland’s needs out to 2065.
The document claims that adding new EU members would have an impact on the migration picture into Ireland.
“While there is likely to be a staged process for the introduction of freedom of movement for new EU members, enlargement can also be expected to impact on future migration flows to Ireland,” the report says.
Speaking about the issue of EU enlargement, Donohoe said that the Government remains supportive of the idea.
“We support the enlargement of the European Union,” he said.
“We support, in particular, the enlargement of the European Union within the Balkans, and the membership of Ukraine within the European Union, though we know that that’s a demanding process.
“But what the report simply acknowledges is that a bigger European Union will have an effect on the finances of the EU itself. And I think those that are involved in the debate around the future of the European Union recognise that.”
He added: “So the Government’s view on EU enlargement is unchanged. All the report highlights is that anything that big will have consequences, and to be aware of those consequences in the debate around it.”
Donohoe’s statement came on the same day of a summit in Brussels that coincided with the unveiling of Brussels’ annual enlargement report. The event was attended by political leaders from Ukraine, Albania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, It also featured the President of the European Council.
According to Euronews, which hosted the event, its purpose was to “discuss the geopolitical and economic imperatives of enlarging the European bloc, as Ukraine continues to battle Russian aggression on the continent’s eastern flank.”
They added: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, European Council President António Costa and the EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos were among Euronews’ guests.”
The Government has long promoted the EU adding to its list of member states on a “merit” basis. Notably, according to Foreign Affairs Minister and Tánaiste Simon Harris, Budget 2026 will see an additional investment of €1.3 million towards “programmes focused on EU enlargement and on citizen engagement on the EU in Ireland.”
A number of countries are being considered by the EU for eventual addition to the bloc within the next decade or so subject to certain reforms, such as mandatory anti-corruption measures and so on. The States under consideration include Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.
Furthermore, Georgia and Albania are likewise on the table for potential EU membership, subject to satisfying the bloc’s conditions.
In July earlier this year, Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs, visited Albania and Montenegro to advance their EU membership aspirations.
Representing the Irish government, the Fianna Fáil Minister said the trip was aimed at bolstering the EU’s enlargement efforts.
During the trip, he emphasised Ireland’s backing of the two nations’ accession processes and urged their governments to press forward with necessary reforms.
“I will take the opportunity to commend Albania and Montenegro for their significant efforts to implement the necessary reforms to align with EU standards,” he said.
“I will encourage the Albanian government and Montenegrin government to maintain their EU integration efforts in the period ahead, so that we can work together to deliver real progress on their EU candidacies, during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU next year.”
He argued that the war in Ukraine had highlighted the importance of growing the EU’s influence.
“The illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has demonstrated the importance of EU enlargement, as a geostrategic investment in a peaceful, secure and prosperous Europe,” Byrne said.
“Ireland has benefited enormously from over half a century of EU membership, and during my visit, I will convey Ireland’s strong support for a merit-based enlargement of the EU.”