Olaf Scholz calls for bigger European Union

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for the expansion of the European Union on Saturday, saying it would allow the bloc to remain geopolitically important.

Scholz, who was speaking at the Congress of the Party of European Socialists in Berlin, said it was important to reform some of the EU's treaties so that new members could join.

"A united European Union of 27, 30, 36 states, with then more than 500 million free and equal citizens, can bring its weight to bear even more strongly in this world," he said. The EU currently has 27 members.

"I am committed to the enlargement of the EU. That the EU continues to grow eastward is a win-win for all of us," he added.

Scholz also pushed for changes to bloc's unanimity principle, which means every member has to agree in order for decisions to be taken in foreign affairs and tax policy.

While the principle helps the EU present a more united front, it has also been criticized for slowing action on urgent topics like sanctioning Russia.

All 27 members of the bloc also have to approve before another country can join it.

What did Scholz say?

Scholz said he knew it would take "a lot of convincing" when it came to the matter of gradually phasing out unanimity. 

"But I also say clearly: if a geopolitical Europe is our aspiration, then majority decisions are a gain and not a loss of sovereignty," Scholz added.

He said he supports more military autonomy of the EU, and called for coordinated procurement of weapons and equipment as well as the establishment of an EU rapid reaction force by 2025.

"In the future, Europe will need a coordinated increase in capabilities," Scholz told the party gathering. "We must confidently and jointly advance European defense."

Why are EU hopefuls frustrated?

The EU last expanded in 2013, when it accepted Croatia, which applied for EU membership in 2003.

But the process of accession to the bloc has been a long one for Western Balkan countries, with the EU agreeing to open accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania in July this year.

North Macedonia was granted candidate status for EU membership in 2005, while Albania was granted membership in 2014.

Ukraine and Moldova were also granted EU candidate status this June, in the wake of the war in Ukraine. 

But Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, has made clear that the accession process would be by the book and formal negotiations would only begin when certain conditions were met.

The Associated Press contributed to this report