BRUSSELS, August 12. /TASS/. Fears over a potential "Trojan horse" joining the European Union are preventing some member states from pushing ahead with the accession process for new countries, Politico reports.

While EU governments publicly support further expansion, France, Germany and the Netherlands have opposed moving too quickly, worrying that new members could change governments and block key policies, the media outlet pointed out.

"There’s a reason the enlargement process takes decades," said a diplomat from a skeptical country, adding: "The fear is we bring in a Trojan horse."

Sources told Politico that the European Commission was drawing up revised rules for new members, which will be presented to EU leaders at a European Council meeting on October 15. The goal is to "assuage concerns that it will be even harder to make decisions and share resources if the group of 27 countries gets bigger."

Hungary has still not given the green light for the opening of all the negotiating clusters for Ukraine and Moldova, Politico noted. Officials say Budapest is fading pressure to do so.

EU accession talks are divided into 33 chapters, consolidated into six clusters. The opening of negotiations usually sets no timetable and does not guarantee EU membership. In particular, Montenegro, which is likely to join the EU next year, has been negotiating for 14 years. Turkey, meanwhile, seems to have little prospect of joining despite having been in accession talks for almost 21 years.