Fit for 35 Forum
The EU is likely to eventually have up to thirty-five members and will need to adapt to accommodate them. SIEPS again asks leading experts what the Union can or should do to be ‘Fit for 35’.
When we first raised the question of what the EU can or should do to be ‘Fit for 35’, five renowned academics responded with their analyses in this publication. SIEPS has now created a new forum where experts from research, policy and think tanks present their thoughts on EU reform and enlargement in short texts. Their contributions are presented on this page.
Dilemmas of EU Enlargement: Geopolitics, Conditionality, and Citizens’ Concerns
While bold decisions have brought enlargement back on the EU’s agenda, long-standing constraints and challenges remain. In this contribution, Professor Antoaneta Dimitrova sheds light on three dilemmas facing EU and candidate state leaders. (24 September)
EU Enlargement: A Strategic Imperative for Survival
Activating its enlargement process is not optional for the European Union. In this post, Professor Veronica Anghel argues that enlargement, particularly to wartime Ukraine, is a matter of institutional survival, a major push to enact reforms the EU needs, and a strategy for the EU to respond to the growing competitiveness gap between the organisation and global economic powers. (20 September)
Enlargement will only succeed if the EU embraces more flexibility
Enlargement policy has been re-discovered as the most powerful tool to stabilize the EU’s neighbourhood. Professor Daniela Schwarzer argues that enlargement will only be successful if the EU becomes more flexible in integrating new members and in its functioning, while enhancing legitimacy and protecting its basic principles more forcefully. (15 May)
Gradual EU integration: limits to an à la carte approach
While new plans for the gradual integration of candidate countries may help to speed up their accession process in certain policy sectors and serve EU interests, Steven Blockmans argues that such advances should be firmly anchored in the formal framework of membership negotiations and checked against comprehensive reforms of the rule of law and public administration. (24 April)
EU Enlargement: Exporting Stability or Importing Instability?
Despite the security risks involved, there can be no going back on the EU’s commitment to a renewed enlargement process. Professor Michael Leigh outlines what steps policymakers need to take to fulfil the EU’s aspiration of securing stability. (3 April 2024)
Enlargement and Institutional Reform: How to make a credible security commitment
The challenges of enlargement are great, but the costs of non-enlargement are greater. Professor Erik Jones points out what European policymakers need to consider when committing to enlargement as an investment in peace, security, and stability. (27 February 2024)
Fit for 35? Setting the scene for a new SIEPS Forum
Political scientists Göran von Sydow and Valentin Kreilinger set the scene for a new SIEPS forum on enlarging and reforming the EU. In short contributions, renowned experts will discuss major issues at stake. (27 February 2024)