Rafaela Gonzalez Lucioni
EU enlargement, without credible enforcement of democratic standards, threatens the Union’s integrity. Cases like Hungary and Serbia expose the dangers of performative reforms and weak accountability. Rafaela Gonzalez Lucioni argues that to remain a values-based project, the EU must reform internal mechanisms and adopt a phased, conditional approach to accession Read more
Bjarn Eck
EU enlargement alone won’t bring peace or security to Ukraine. Without matching accession promises with sustained military aid, writes Bjarn Eck, Europe risks prolonging the war — and exposing itself to greater danger Read more
Tyyne Karjalainen
Hungary’s blocking behaviour risks derailing Ukraine’s fragile pro-European momentum. If not addressed, it could fuel Euroscepticism, embolden authoritarian spoilers, and hollow out the EU’s enlargement promise. Tyyne Karjalainen explores what options are on the table to restore credibility to the accession process Read more
Milada Anna Vachudova
Milada Anna Vachudova argues that defending liberal democracy is essential to Europe's geopolitical power. EU enlargement and military investment must fill the security and values vacuum left by the United States in 2025 Read more
Albrecht Rothacher
On the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre in eastern Bosnia, Albrecht Rothacher looks back at the significance of that event, and the confederal State it produced. Three decades on, can the EU realistically consider Bosnia and Herzegovina as a potential member state? Read more
Ivan Nagornyak
Staged integration is gaining traction to revitalise EU enlargement without lowering standards. Drawing on Ukraine’s experience, Ivan Nagornyak and Mariia Shalamberidze examine expert models and propose a structured, fair, and security-conscious approach Read more
Beáta Bakó
Membership of the EU no longer guarantees access to its core benefits. With funding now tied to rule-of-law compliance, aspiring member states are subject to increasing scrutiny. Beáta Bakó examines how this shift reshapes accession prospects – and why candidate countries may find themselves caught in a new cycle of disillusionment Read more
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