European Commissioner for Enlargement

European Commissioner for Enlargement
Flag of Europe
Incumbent Marta Kos since 1 December 2024
European Commission
Member of	European Commission
Reports to	President of the European Commission
Term length	5 years
Formation	1999
First holder	Günter Verheugen

The EuropeanCommissioner for Enlargement ^[a] is a member of the European Commission responsible for overseeing the accession process of prospective new member states of the European Union (EU) and leading the Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST).

As of 2025, there are nine official candidate countries for EU membership: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. In addition, Kosovo is recognized as a potential candidate. ^[1] Bosnia and Herzegovina was most recently granted candidate status in December 2022. ^[2]

Since 2024, the Commissioner’s responsibilities have been limited strictly to enlargement policy and the Eastern Neighbourhood, following the creation of a separate Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf (DG MENA), led by the newly created Commissioner for the Mediterranean. Previously, the role also covered relations with the EU’s southern neighbourhood through the European Neighbourhood Policy.

The current Commissioner is Marta Kos, who has held the office in the von der Leyen II Commission since 1 December 2024.

History

Günter Verheugen (1999–2004) was the first Commissioner to hold responsibility for Enlargement. His tenure oversaw the preparations for the historic 2004 enlargement, which brought ten new countries into the European Union: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Olli Rehn (2004–2010) succeeded Verheugen, and supervised the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, the granting of candidate status to Croatia (2004) and North Macedonia (2005), and the opening of accession talks with Montenegro following its independence in 2006. He was also active in negotiations related to Turkey’s candidacy and the status of Kosovo.

Štefan Füle (2010–2014) followed Rehn. Füle’s most notable achievement was overseeing the accession of Croatia in 2013, making it the EU’s 28th member state. His mandate also placed strong emphasis on the Eastern Partnership and the EU’s relations with countries on its eastern borders.

Johannes Hahn (2014–2019) took office as the enlargement agenda slowed. During his term, accession negotiations with the Western Balkans remained the central focus, while relations with Turkey became increasingly strained.

Olivér Várhelyi (2019–2024) served during a period when the enlargement process regained strategic importance, particularly in light of geopolitical tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Under his tenure, Ukraine, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were granted candidate status in 2022.

Marta Kos (2024–present) was appointed on 1 December 2024.

List of Commissioners

No.	Portrait	Name	Term	Party				Commission	Member state
				European		National
1		Günter Verheugen	1999–2004		PES		SPD	Prodi	Germany
* [b]		Janez Potočnik	2004		ALDE		LDS	Prodi	Slovenia
2		Olli Rehn	2004–2010		ALDE		C	Barroso I	Finland
3		Štefan Füle	2010–2014		PES		SOCDEM	Barroso II	Czech Republic
4		Johannes Hahn	2014–2019		EPP		ÖVP	Juncker	Austria
5		Olivér Várhelyi	2019–2024	Independent [c]				Von der Leyen I	Hungary
6		Marta Kos	2024–present	Independent				Von der Leyen II	Slovenia

See also

• Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations
• Enlargement of the European Union
• Foreign relations of the European Union
• European Union Association Agreement
• Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area

External links

• The members of the Barosso Commission (2004–2009) website
• European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) website
• Rehn warns of 'chaos' in Kosovo if UN plan fails Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine

Notes

1. Previously European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement
2. Served concurrently with Günter Verheugen in a transitional capacity following Slovenia’s accession to the EU.
3. Associated with Fidesz

References

1. "EU enlargement - European Union". european-union.europa.eu. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
2. "European Council conclusions, 15 December 2022". European Council. Retrieved 25 January 2023.