Speaking alongside North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski in Skopje, von der Leyen said the European Commission would present its pre-enlargement policy reviews next week, Anadolu Agency reported.
The reviews will examine “our institutions, our policies, our budget” and determine what needs to change to allow the EU to accommodate future member states, she said.
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The European Commission has previously said its pre-enlargement work is intended to assess the implications of a larger EU across areas including governance, policies, budget and shared values.
“Enlargement, of course, is a two-way process. Candidate countries must be ready to join, but we, as the European Union, must also be ready to welcome them,” von der Leyen said.
“We want to make sure that our European Union is ready to become larger,” she added.
The remarks come as the EU continues to explore ways of bringing candidate countries closer to the bloc before full membership. Proposals for gradual integration include greater access to the EU single market and closer trade ties.
Turning to North Macedonia, von der Leyen said the country needs to take a key step to advance its accession negotiations and open the fundamentals cluster.
She also reaffirmed the EU’s support for North Macedonia’s European path, including its identity, language and culture.
North Macedonia’s accession process has faced obstacles related to unresolved disputes with neighboring countries, including Greece and Bulgaria, over historical, linguistic and identity issues.
The European Commission’s latest enlargement assessment says North Macedonia needs further action on opening benchmarks and has called for progress on reforms linked to the rule of law, public administration and democratic institutions.
The EU has continued to pursue gradual integration of Western Balkan countries as part of its broader enlargement policy, including through a €6 billion Growth Plan for the region.
