The EU is preparing a “new generation” of accession treaties with built-in safeguards that could penalize future members if they breach democratic norms, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the EU is preparing stricter accession frameworks for future members, introducing safeguards designed to enforce compliance with the bloc’s democratic values.

Speaking during a panel at Ukraine Innovation Days in Washington DC, Kos outlined what she described as a “new generation” of accession treaties that would include mechanisms to penalize member states that deviate from EU values.

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Her remarks come as Brussels sighed with relief following tensions with Hungary’s former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who blocked the EU’s efforts to provide aid to Ukraine and reduce dependence on Russia, and w

In response to a question from Kyiv Post, Kos said the European Commission is already considering how such safeguards could be embedded in future accession agreements.

“This will be a new generation of the accession treaties and the safeguards… If the new members and everybody will stick to our rules, those safeguards will not be felt at all. But if they will go against our values, our system, our regulations, then those safeguards will bite hard,” Kos told Kyiv Post.

“And we are now discussing with the member states exactly in which form we will bring this to the accession treaty,” she added.

Kos indicated that the proposed mechanisms would not affect countries that adhere to EU rules but would be triggered if violations occur.

The comments suggest a shift in Brussels’ approach to enlargement, reflecting lessons learned from past expansions, in which enforcement tools proved limited once countries gained full membership.