During today’s debate on the 2025 Enlargement Package, ECR Group Vice-President Anna Magyar underlined how, thanks to the CoR’s centre-right political forces, the principle of unanimity in enlargement matters has been upheld. During her intervention, Ms Magyar stressed that the principle of unanimity in the Council must remain at the core of the EU’s enlargement decisions, making it the key factor shaping any credible path toward accession. 

Magyar emphasised that while enlargement can deepen stability, economic cooperation, and people-to-people ties, the EU’s credibility depends on respecting the institutional reality: “Decisions on enlargement are taken by Member States in the Council and require unanimity,” she underlined. She argued that this rule is not a procedural detail but a fundamental safeguard ensuring that enlargement can only move forward when all Member States agree, reinforcing the legitimacy and durability of the process.  

Against this backdrop, Magyar called on the Committee of the Regions to stay firmly anchored in its territorial mandate. “CoR opinions should remain focused on their core territorial dimension and provide practical, constructive guidance for local and regional authorities in candidate countries. We must stop drifting into debates that belong elsewhere,” she stated. By doing so, the CoR can support enlargement where its contribution is uniquely valuable, strengthening local administrative capacity, which is indispensable for implementing the reforms required for accession.  

Magyar stressed that the Western Balkan partners cannot advance meaningfully toward EU membership without capable municipalities and regions ready to deliver on key reforms. “Our collective experience should be put to work to equip and enable our Western Balkan partners for EU membership,” she said, adding that "strong local administrations are often the difference between reforms on paper and reforms that actually improve citizens' lives".