Veronica Anghel
Icelanders have voted against reopening accession talks with the European Union. Veronica Anghel and Erik Jones claim that the result prevents Iceland from seeking a formal decision-making role for now, but changes nothing about how deeply Iceland already participates in the European project Read more
Murad Gafarov
Recent wars in Ukraine and Iran have raised the South Caucasus's strategic value to the EU. Murad Gafarov argues Brussels should move beyond engaging Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia case by case, building a permanent strategy around the region's shared interdependence instead Read more
Adam Kola
EU institutions, policymakers and many expert debates often frame enlargement as a test for candidate countries. Adam Kola argues that it is equally a test for the European Union. The accession of Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans will also reshape the EU by forcing it to reform and redefine itself Read more
Ezgi Tüztürk
The membership of Kosovo and Albania on Trump's Board of Peace reveals a growing tension between these countries' reliance on Washington and their EU accession. As EU-US relations become increasingly strained, both countries face difficult choices over political alignment. This, warns Ezgi Tüztürk, risks sending conflicting signals to the EU Read more
Vera Tika
Recent contributions to this series have shown how enlargement has returned to the centre of European geopolitics. Vera Tika argues that the emerging model of gradual accession is transforming the meaning of EU membership from a binary status separating insiders from outsiders into a continuum of differentiated participation Read more
Iveri Kekenadze Gustafsson
The crushing defeat of Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz in Hungary’s 2026 elections gives the EU a rare opportunity to reform its enlargement policy. Iveri Kekenadze Gustafsson argues that this moment can accelerate candidates’ path to membership and prevent single states from derailing the process for domestic or bilateral political gain Read more
Matis Poussardin
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made EU enlargement a strategic necessity without altering its merit-based rules. The tension between urgency and strict conditionality endures. Matis Poussardin argues that EU agencies can bridge this gap by enabling gradual, sector-specific participation in EU governance without lowering accession standards Read more
Klaudia Koxha
Gender equality is a fundamental EU value and a condition for the accession of new members. Yet political parties in Western Balkan candidate countries rarely prioritise it. Klaudia Koxha explains why: parties respond when Brussels and voters agree, but go quiet when their positions clash, especially on LGBTQ+ rights Read more
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