欧盟扩大事务委员玛尔塔·科斯周三表示，欧盟不仅应在未来的成员国中加强维护法治的保障措施，也应在此框架内现有成员国中加以强化。
The EU should strengthen its safeguards for upholding the rule of law not only in future member states but also within the bloc's existing membership, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said Wednesday.
在法国斯特拉斯堡的欧洲议会举行的关于扩大前政策审查的讨论中，科斯表示，欧盟应研究如何使其现有机制（包括欧盟条约第7条）更加有效。
Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, during an exchange of views on the pre-enlargement policy reviews, Kos said the EU should examine how to make its existing mechanisms, including Article 7 of the EU treaties, more effective.
“当涉及法治问题时……我们也应在成员国内部采取一些行动。因此，我们建议与成员国坐下来，共同审视第7条，探讨如何更有效地运用它。”科斯补充道。
"When it is about the rule of law. ... We should also do something among the member states, so we suggest that we sit down with the member states and also go through Article 7, how to make its use, how to make it more efficient," Kos added.
第7条允许欧盟应对严重风险，或成员国对欧盟基本价值观（包括法治）的严重且持续违反行为作出回应。
Article 7 allows the EU to respond to a serious risk of, or a serious and persistent breach of, the bloc's fundamental values, including the rule of law.
科斯表示，欧盟委员会正在提议为未来的入盟条约建立一套共同的保障框架。
Kos said the commission is proposing a common framework of safeguards for future accession treaties.
该框架将在现有各领域的保障措施基础上，引入额外措施。如果新成员国严重违反欧盟的价值观（包括民主和法治），这些措施便可启用。
The framework would build on existing sectoral safeguards while introducing additional measures that could be used if new members seriously breach EU values, including democracy and the rule of law.
在最严重的情况下，相关措施可能包括暂停投票权，而所提议的措施将在最长15年的过渡期内实施。
In the most serious cases, measures could include suspension of voting rights, with the proposed measures operating during a transitional period of up to 15 years.
她还补充说，法治监督将在入盟前开始，并在国家加入欧盟后继续执行，新成员国将全面适用欧盟的法治工具箱。科斯同时驳斥了欧盟扩大政策仅基于地缘政治考量的说法。
She added that rule-of-law monitoring will begin before accession and continue after a country joins the EU, with new member states covered by the bloc's full rule-of-law toolbox. Kos also rejected the idea that the EU's enlargement drive is based solely on geopolitical considerations.
“地缘政治解释了扩大为何重要，以及为何这是优先事项；而基于功绩的标准则决定了一个国家在何种条件下、何时能够加入。”她说。
"Geopolitics means why enlargement is important and why this is priority. Merit-based means conditions under one country can join and when," she said.
这一更广泛的方案提议，为候选国提供更强的渐进式一体化路径，允许它们在正式入盟前更密切地参与部分欧盟政策，同时要求其持续朝着入盟目标推进。科斯强调，渐进式一体化并不能取代欧盟成员国的身份。
The broader package proposes enhanced gradual integration for candidate countries, allowing them to participate more closely in selected EU policies before full membership, while requiring continued progress toward accession. Kos stressed that gradual integration is not a substitute for EU membership.
她说：“只有那些认真希望成为欧盟成员国的候选国，才能获得这种加强版渐进式一体化的一部分。”
"Only those candidates who are serious about becoming a member of the EU will be able to get part of this enhanced gradual integration," she said.