European leaders should adopt a new approach—the PACT model—for Ukraine’s future accession to the EU. This model will help them facilitate the peace process while also giving confidence to their electorates
Jessica Hendrick is joined by Morten Bøås to go inside RE-ENGAGE’s fieldwork across six EU candidate countries—revealing what citizens actually trust, why anger matters more than apathy and what Brussels keeps getting wrong about democracy promotion
The Ukraine war has revived EU enlargement for Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine, but they face obstacles. Accelerating membership for these frontrunners would unlock the process before rivals can take advantage
Jessica Hendrick takes over The Neighbourhood to unpack what the EU’s 2025 Enlargement Package reveals about both Brussels’s expectations and life inside the candidate countries
30 years ago, Austria, Finland and Sweden became members of the EU. What has been theeconomic, political and societal impact of their EU membership? What drivesEU enlargement today? And what may the EU’s next 30 years look like? We will delve into these questions with our experts, looking first at the scenarios for EU reforms…
Mark Leonard launches ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series with Lykke Friis to explore the future of EU enlargement and Denmark’s role in shaping it
The EU’s accession process ignores defence while NATO cannot cover all the candidates. Tailored defence cooperation roadmaps offer a promising path to protect Europe’s periphery without NATO membership
Since the Georgian Dream party suspended EU accession talks, Georgia’s population has made its feelings known. Now the EU should show solidarity by helping secure the country’s democratic future
Kosovo remains at odds with Serbia—and the EU. The outcome of the country’s imminent election could allow the EU to transform relations between the countries and open the door to Kosovo’s accession
Albania has begun talks to become an EU member state. Successful accession could restore credibility in the enlargement process for Western Balkan and eastern European candidate countries – while offering enhanced political and economic stability for Albania
The Ukraine war has revived EU enlargement for Albania, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine, but they face obstacles. Accelerating membership for these frontrunners would unlock the process before rivals can take advantage
The EU’s accession process ignores defence while NATO cannot cover all the candidates. Tailored defence cooperation roadmaps offer a promising path to protect Europe’s periphery without NATO membership
With EU enlargement back on the agenda, democracy promotion in candidate countries is a key geopolitical interest for the bloc. The EU’s previous efforts to promote democracy in the Western Balkans and eastern neighbourhood may hold valuable lessons for the years ahead
A new power audit of member states’ positions on EU enlargement shows broad agreement that it is a geopolitical necessity, but major disagreements about how to prepare the EU. To make credible progress, EU member states need to agree on a roadmap that addresses their conflicting concerns at the European Council meeting in December
Russia’s war on Ukraine means the EU must devise a new approach to its neighbourhood. It should establish a Partnership for Enlargement that offers Ukraine and other states concrete steps towards deeper integration
European leaders should adopt a new approach—the PACT model—for Ukraine’s future accession to the EU. This model will help them facilitate the peace process while also giving confidence to their electorates
Since the Georgian Dream party suspended EU accession talks, Georgia’s population has made its feelings known. Now the EU should show solidarity by helping secure the country’s democratic future
Kosovo remains at odds with Serbia—and the EU. The outcome of the country’s imminent election could allow the EU to transform relations between the countries and open the door to Kosovo’s accession
Albania has begun talks to become an EU member state. Successful accession could restore credibility in the enlargement process for Western Balkan and eastern European candidate countries – while offering enhanced political and economic stability for Albania
As the European Union pushes for peace in the Western Balkans, it should focus on moving the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue beyond its current impasse to establish long-lasting regional stability and deter Russian influence
Accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova have formally begun. But four main challenges lay ahead before the EU welcomes its eastern neighbours into the bloc
With more right-wing MEPs in the next European Parliament, the EU’s enlargement plans may be in jeopardy unless the next commission president stands firm
The EU’s green agenda is threatened by a predicted surge to the far-right in the upcoming European Parliament election. Against this, mainstream candidates should remind voters that climate policy is not only necessary for decarbonisation, but an essential tool for EU enlargement
That EU enlargement is a geopolitical imperative is no longer in doubt. But to make enlargement happen, the EU may need to decouple bilateral disputes from the accession process
The Orban saga highlights the need for more effective decision-making within the EU – especially now that enlargement is firmly back on the agenda
Jessica Hendrick is joined by Morten Bøås to go inside RE-ENGAGE’s fieldwork across six EU candidate countries—revealing what citizens actually trust, why anger matters more than apathy and what Brussels keeps getting wrong about democracy promotion
Jessica Hendrick takes over The Neighbourhood to unpack what the EU’s 2025 Enlargement Package reveals about both Brussels’s expectations and life inside the candidate countries
Mark Leonard launches ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series with Lykke Friis to explore the future of EU enlargement and Denmark’s role in shaping it
30 years ago, Austria, Finland and Sweden became members of the EU. What has been theeconomic, political and societal impact of their EU membership? What drivesEU enlargement today? And what may the EU’s next 30 years look like? We will delve into these questions with our experts, looking first at the scenarios for EU reforms…
This webinar will discuss current revisions of the EU approach to enlargement policy and the security implications for Ukraine and the neighborhoods
Russia’s war against Ukraine has prompted European policymakers to rethink their approach to enlargement. What form does this new approach take, what are the opportunities for EU and candidate countries, and what is the European Political Community’s role?
Building on the success and results of the 2023 Project “France-Italy-Germany Trilateral Dialogue: in Pursuit of a common agenda”, the 2024 Quadrilateral Project will continue to promote intra-European dialogue between capitals, extending last year’s trilateral format to Spain
Russia’s war against Ukraine has radically altered European security. Confronted by the direst security crisis in decades, EU policymakers are forced to fundamentally rethink their security policies. Europe has demonstrated unexpected unity and resolve, adopting a series of sanctions against Russia, increasing national defence spending, but also by deciding on a historic revival of EU…
Die EU muss sich reformieren, bevor sie die Ukraine (und andere Beitrittskandidaten) aufnimmt – nur so verhindert sie totale Dysfunktionalität
This event will discuss new polling data of six key EU member states in the enlargement debate (Germany, France, Denmark, Austria, Poland, Romania) and reveal what voters think about the geopolitical imperative of EU enlargement
Secondo appuntamento di una serie di tre working lunch realizzati congiuntamente da ECFR Roma, SDA Bocconi e l’Institute for European Policymaking @ Bocconi University
Ahead of the European Council in December where accession talks with Ukraine are expected to be opened, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is delighted to welcome Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Olha Stefanishyna, to discuss what Ukraine needs from Europe in the Long War. Europeans now face conflicts on multiple fronts in their…
