EU Enlargement Commissioner Calls for Stronger Rule-of-Law Safeguards for Member States

The European Union's enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, has called for stronger rule-of-law safeguards to apply not only to candidate countries but also to existing member states.

Kos said that monitoring of judicial independence, anti-corruption measures and other rule-of-law benchmarks should begin well before a country formally joins the European Union, and that such oversight should continue after accession rather than ending once membership is granted.

The remarks reflect ongoing debate within the EU over how to ensure that new and existing members uphold democratic standards, an issue that has gained prominence following rule-of-law disputes involving several current member states in recent years.

Her comments come as the bloc continues to evaluate the accession prospects of several candidate countries, a process that has in the past been criticized for insufficiently enforcing commitments made during the pre-accession phase.

Kos's position suggests a push within the European Commission to close what some officials view as a gap in enforcement once a country has already secured membership, when leverage over domestic reforms can diminish.

The Commission has not yet detailed a formal proposal for extending continuous rule-of-law monitoring across all member states.