Ukraine Accession Talks Greenlighted As Poland’s Kaczyński Lambasts EU 

The European Commission recommended opening accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, while in Warsaw, the ruling Law and Justice delayed the transfer of power to the new majority in parliament, accusing it of colluding with the EU to destroy Poland’s sovereignty by supporting internal reforms of the bloc. 

Upcoming on Visegrad Insight:

• Albin Sybera examines the Velvet Revolution in light of the current CE dynamic.
• Eugeniusz Smolar looks into how a new Polish government can repair relations with Germany and the EU.
• Brussels Event: Will the next EU Agenda save Ukraine and democracy? 13 November at 4 PM. Read more here
• Special Foresight Report: How European Democracies Are to Survive a New Trump Age. Read more and download the report here

EU/REGIONAL

• The European Commission recommended the opening of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova at the EU leaders’ summit in December. It also recommended recognising Georgia as a candidate country, marking the biggest political push into ex-Soviet Union territory.
• Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine and Moldova needed to continue reforms to meet EU standards and allow the EU to adopt a negotiation framework for their accession in March 2024. For a breakdown of the Commission’s reports on Western Balkans, see the section below.
• Russia pulled out of the treaty on limiting conventional forces in Europe, accusing the West of increasing armaments. NATO responded by suspending its adherence to the treaty.
• The EU parliament and the Council agreed on the 2024 budget of over 189 billion euros, including humanitarian and migration spending.
• Former ECB chairman Mario Draghi, who is preparing a report on EU competitiveness for the European Commission, said the bloc must deepen political integration in the areas of foreign and security policies to face global challenges.
• Italy struck a deal with Albania to establish asylum seekers’ centres on Albanian territory, to handle some of the migrants crossing the Mediterranean. The move sparked concerns in both countries and the EU Commission about the legality of such arrangements.
• Germany said, however, it would also investigate such an option as part of a broader move to stem irregular migration agreed by the federal government and the states. A jump in irregular migration is fuelling support for the far-right AfD party in Germany.
• A European business lobby says decoupling from China may accelerate due to the country’s espionage laws that make it harder to exchange commercial data.
• CEE countries continue to run significant budget deficits as they ramp up defence spending and grapple with EWU-wide economic slowdown.