EU looks to counter Putin's influence with new members
The European Union should help countries counter Vladimir Putin and send a clear message about their EU accession prospects, French Minister for Europe Laurence Boone told POLITICO.
“There is a lot of disinformation and interference in these candidate countries. This is a problem. Vladimir Putin, in addition to his territorial ambitions, is also seeking to weaken the European Union. This is a factor that we need to take into account and against which we need to fight,” Boone said.
According to the official, the EU must “help these countries to fight against the Russian influence strategy as much as possible, while respecting their sovereignty.”
Recently, David McAllister, the chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, said in an interview with Euronews that the European Council, the European Commission, and the European Parliament are all in favour of the accession of other countries to the European Union, but that this process should be based on merit. According to him, each country should be evaluated individually, and a country that is ready to join the European Union will be accepted.
The comments were made after French President Emmanuel Macron said that the European Union needs to be reformed, taking into account the integration of Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkan countries. At the same time, European Council President Charles Michel said that the European Union needs to be prepared to admit new member states by 2030.
Translation Iurie Tataru
