Ezgi TĂźztĂźrk
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 TĂźztĂźrk, 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
Marina MiliÄ
In 2024â25, Serbiaâs leaderless, decentralised, nonviolent student movement made a rare thing happen: it made fear change sides. In 2026, the government has shifted from managing crowds to tightening procedural control, targeting the institutions that sheltered resistance. Universities, arguesâŻMarina MiliÄ, are now the frontline rebels â disciplined through labour rules and a financial âkill switchâ 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
Visnja Vukov
Comparing Central and Eastern Europe with the Western Balkans, Visnja Vukov argues that the EUâs 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 politicalâeconomic coalitions Read more
Vera Tika
Albania has appointed an AI minister for public procurement. But Vera Tika argues that while 'Diella' embodies gendered symbolism and digital modernity, her appointment exposes a gap between European aspiration and democratic accountability Read more
Tyyne Karjalainen
Hungaryâs blocking behaviour risks derailing Ukraineâs fragile pro-European momentum. If not addressed, it could fuel Euroscepticism, embolden authoritarian spoilers, and hollow out the EUâs enlargement promise. Tyyne Karjalainen explores what options are on the table to restore credibility to the accession process 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
Š 2026 European Consortium for Political Research. The ECPR is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) number 1167403 ECPR, Harbour House, 6-8 Hythe Quay, Colchester, CO2 8JF, United Kingdom.
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