Jelena Džankić
The EU enlargement process successfully transformed Southern and Eastern European states into market democracies, but faltered in the Western Balkans. Jelena Džankić argues that amid today’s geopolitical challenges, prioritising the transformative mechanisms of EU enlargement is more critical than focusing solely on achieving full membership Read more
Frank Schimmelfennig
The EU is caught in a dilemma between its geopolitical urge to enlarge and the high institutional standards for membership. Frank Schimmelfennig argues that differentiated integration would help square the circle. Committed candidate countries could join fast, but only enjoy full rights and benefits of membership conditional on institutional progress Read more
Veronica Anghel
Launching her series on EU enlargement dilemmas, Veronica Anghel argues that enlargement is no gamble, but a strategic necessity. In crisis, enlargement transforms external risks into shared responsibilities, reinforcing governance, security, and global influence — and ensuring the Union’s survival and relevance Read more
Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa
Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa and James F. Downes argue that the EU faces a dilemma: should it pursue continued enlargement, or contract its membership by removing troublesome member state Hungary? Reaching a decision involves a complex trade-off between the need to increase EU influence and to maintain a unified, cohesive membership. Read more
Veronica Anghel
Veronica Anghel and Erik Jones redefine the EU as a (selective membership) system of common resource pools, arguing this is the only way to understand its transformation under the pressure to enlarge. Enlargement means less exclusivity, so the key is to understand how the ‘goods’ that it provides are affected Read more
James Dawson
The EU did not foresee how autocratisation would unfold in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). But political scientists failed to raise the alarm, too. Lise Herman, James Dawson and Aurelia Ananda show that optimistic assumptions about democratisation misled policy makers and researchers alike Read more
Dušan Spasojević
Using the example of the Serbian Progressive Party, Dušan Spasojević shows how populism can be driven by blurred ideological standpoints. At the same time, it can occupy a centrist position in the party system and enter the political mainstream Read more
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