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
Amir Alecperov
Amir Alecperov argues that militant democracy – the principle that a democracy may lawfully limit certain democratic rights to protect democratic constitutional order – is not only compatible with EU law but urgently necessary. Romania’s post-1989 legal framework offers a tested model. Moldova is applying it in real time 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
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
Visnja Vukov
Comparing Central and Eastern Europe with the Western Balkans, Visnja Vukov argues that the EU’s governance of economic integration is a decisive lever of transformation. When the EU prioritises and credibly enforces these requirements, it constrains rent-seeking and weakens state capture. When the EU defers them, however, governments can entrench clientelist political–economic coalitions Read more
Gabriela-Elena Plăpămaru
Amid rising illiberalism, Romanian democratic institutions face growing pressure. Gabriela Plăpămaru reveals how the traditional right tried to undermine Romania’s education sector — and how progressives responded with institutional resilience 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
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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