From Marginal to Central: the Foreign and Security Dimension of EU Enlargement Policy
In the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, EU enlargement acquired a renewed impetus: the security of both aspiring and existing members. Barbara Lippert explores how this put foreign and security policy at the heart of the accession process. (2024:18epa)
Today, enlargement is perhaps more than ever before seen as a strategic priority; vitally important for the security of existing members and those who seek to join. In this European Policy Analysis Barbara Lippert (Director of Research of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, SWP) describes what this means for the enlargement process.
How is the EU managing the tension between enlargement being a geostrategic ‘imperative’ and the need to accept members only if they fulfil strict conditions? How do the EU and NATO accession processes interact? What are the main security challenges on the road to an EU of 35 or 37? How well are candidate states integrated into the EU’s foreign and security policies?
In addition to answering these questions, Lippert draws lessons from previous NATO and EU enlargements and argues that while political cooperation is deepening, more work is needed. The EU should intensify its cooperation with different security partners in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, through political and institutional mechanisms as well as through practical cooperation. Since the aim – to contain Russia – is an important one, the EU could even declare the extension of its mutual assistance clause to candidate states.
Read more of SIEPS’ analysis of EU enlargement here.