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EU enlargement

August 6, 2025

🧭 Military support to Ukraine is more fundamental than enlargement

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
July 31, 2025

🧭 Can the EU overcome Hungary’s veto on Ukrainian membership?

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
July 22, 2025

🧭 Europe’s geopolitical test: enlargement in a post-American moment

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
July 11, 2025

Thirty years after Srebrenica, is Bosnia and Herzegovina a viable state?

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
July 8, 2025

🧭 How staged integration can revitalise EU enlargement

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
June 10, 2025

🧭 Enlargement and the rise of endless conditionality

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
June 3, 2025

🧭 Why EU enlargement is a strategic necessity for the United States

Nicholas Lokker EU enlargement serves not only European interests but also those of the United States. As Nicholas Lokker argues, expanding the European Union strengthens peace in a vital region and enhances the EU’s capacity to act as Washington’s partner of first resort amid mounting global challenges Read more
May 21, 2025

🧭 The risks of wartime politicisation of enlargement 

Miruna Butnaru-Troncotă Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine forced the EU to revive its enlargement agenda, but growing politicisation risks sidelining the Western Balkans yet again. Miruna Butnaru Troncotă argues that the EU's future credibility and cohesion hinge on treating Western Balkan integration just as urgently as Eastern enlargement Read more

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