Seimas discussed the prospects for EU enlargement

Press release, 9 December 2025 (News● Photos ● Broadcasts and videos)

On 9 December 2025, the Seimas held a discussion on Prospects for EU enlargement: progress of candidate countries and recommendations of the European Commission for 2025.

Rasa Budbergytė, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas and Chair of the Committee on European Affairs, noted that the prospects for EU enlargement and this year's enlargement package of the European Commission were not a technicality, but a major political issue concerning the security of our continent, the future of democracy, and Lithuania's strategic vision for the coming decade.

'The enlargement package announced by the Commission makes it clear that enlargement has once again become a real, tangible opportunity. The package sets out ambitious milestones - from Montenegro and Albania to Ukraine and Moldova, with the potential dates for conclusion of the accession negotiations and achievement of fully-fledged membership,' Ms Budbergytė said. She stated that the European Commission sent a very clear signal that the enlargement process was no longer frozen.

Ms Budbergytė stated that Ukraine had become the driving force behind EU enlargement since 2022. 'Lithuania sees Ukraine's accession to the EU as a geopolitical turning point and, concurrently, an urgent prerequisite for security. Ukraine's membership is also a security guarantee for the EU itself. Therefore, we must accelerate the negotiation process by opening all negotiation clusters and ensuring that Ukraine can become a fully-fledged member of the EU by 2030 at the latest. Ukraine and Moldova must advance together because sidelining Ukraine would jeopardize not only the logic of the enlargement process but also the credibility of the EU,' Ms Budbergytė said. She underlined that Ukraine and Moldova had maintained an impressive pace of reforms in recent years despite Russia's ongoing full-scale war and continuous hybrid threats and attempts to destabilise Moldova.

Remigijus Motuzas, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, pointed out that the EU enlargement was being hindered by Members States, rather than candidate countries. 'In this enlargement process, the principle of unanimity is becoming an obstacle, slowing down strategic decisions for the sake of narrow national interests. Creative solutions must be introduced so that decisions can be taken by qualified majority vote at certain intermediate stages of enlargement, in particular when opening negotiation chapters. This would help to avoid political hostage-taking and ensure that EU enlargement remained a strategic rather than a tactical issue,' Mr Motuzas stressed. According to him, history shows that each wave of enlargement has made the Union more robust and better equipped to meet challenges and create prosperity.

As stated by Mr Motuzas, Ukraine and Moldova have to move forward on the path to enlargement. 'Any attempt to artificially decouple their accession processes would be a mistake, which would undermine the stability of the region. That is why we are very clear today: we hope that Ukraine will become an EU Member State as of 1 January 2030. This is more than just a date - it is a pledge to the country that is defending our values today with its own blood,' Mr Motuzas said.

He noted the need for preparations within the European Union as well. 'Institutional reform, financial mechanisms, cohesion policy, and energy security must all be aligned with the enlargement process. Lithuania stands ready to work actively on these issues, especially in the run-up to our Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2027,' Mr Motuzas said.

Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, cited Lithuania as a success story of EU membership. As regards Moldova, she stated that last year considerable time and effort had been devoted to combating Russia's narratives and interference with the domestic affairs of this small country. She said that the impressive experience of Lithuania could easily dispel the fears aggressively spread by the Kremlin propaganda machine, in particular, claims that the Moldovan people would lose their identity and autonomy in the EU or that European financial assistance would make Moldova dependent on foreign countries. 'Your country is a living example of how those who broke free from Russia's zone of influence left poverty and insecurity behind and began enjoying growth, prosperity and stability,' Ms Kos said. She emphasised that Lithuania had turned EU membership into a tremendous success - something that truly alarms the autocrats in Moscow.

The Commissioner stressed that EU enlargement had always been the best response to major geopolitical changes. 'Today, we are witnessing another major geopolitical transformation. Russia is clearly determined to re-establish its ever-growing influence over our continent. We see a coordinated attack on European structures. We see a coordinated attack on the very same European structures that have brought peace and prosperity to our continent. Undeniably, some actors do not benefit from a strong and united Europe and are making every effort to destabilise, first and foremost, our candidate countries, such as Moldova,' the Commissioner said.

Ms Kos underlined that the aim of enlargement was to unite Europe. 'I must acknowledge that enlargement policy has evolved in recent years. Despite all the benefits and transformations it has brought to our continent, enlargement still often carries very negative associations, especially for candidate countries. We must take this very seriously and dispel any misconceptions,' the Commissioner stated.

Ms Kos outlined three priorities for further work: progress based on the achievements of the candidate countries, including the fight against corruption and strengthening of the rule of law; the EU's readiness to admit new Members States; and deeper and faster integration of future Member States into the EU.

Rimas Rudaitis, Adviser, Press Office, Information and Communication Department, tel. +370 5 209 6132, e-mail: [email protected]