Key Points
BRUSSELS, Oct 4 (Reuters) - European Union leaders will discuss how to reform the 27-nation bloc to accept new members at a summit in Granada on Oct. 5-6, launching a long process to make the EU ready for enlargement by a tentative deadline of 2030...
Yet another proposal is to change the number of votes needed to form a blocking minority - from the current system of 55% of member states representing 65% of the EU population, to 60% of countries representing 60% of the population...
The CEPS think-tank estimates that if Ukraine were an EU member today, it would be getting a net 18-19 billion euros from the EU budget, meaning net contributors to the EU budget would have to pay 10% more than now and Spain would switch from being a small net beneficiary of EU funds to a small net payer...
Having unsuccessfully struggled for years with Poland and Hungary over their shortcomings on the rule of law, the EU wants to make sure that before it accepts any new members it has effective ways to enforce adherence to EU values and laws...
To prevent foot-dragging in the disciplinary process, one of the proposed ideas is that EU governments be required to decide within six months, through a four-fifths majority vote, whether a country is not respecting the rule of law, a decision that would deprive that state of a vote at EU policymaking meetings...
