Euronews chairman urges faster EU enlargement and a UK return

Pedro Vargas David, the owner and chairman of Euronews, urged the European Union to accelerate enlargement during the Euronews Enlargement Summit in Brussels. He presented faster entry as a demand shared by candidates including Albania, Georgia, Serbia and Ukraine.

For the Western Balkans, David advocated what he termed a “Gibraltar model” to speed up the application of Schengen. The approach envisages accelerated membership with possible adjustments to members’ rights and obligations, including limits on vetoes, voting powers and participation in certain programmes.

He urged the Council and the European Parliament to debate the proposal, arguing that the EU risked losing an opportunity if it remained fixed in its existing positions.

Support for enlargement stands at almost 53 per cent across the EU, but varies between countries: 79 per cent in Sweden favour it, compared with 35 per cent in France. David argued that political leaders and the media had a responsibility to provide more information about enlargement.

David also advocated the United Kingdom’s return to the bloc and sought British participation at the following year’s summit. He said both the UK and the rest of Europe were weaker and poorer apart.