From the Western Balkans to Ukraine and beyond: Rethinking EU Enlargement Policy

Almost three decades after it was designed to integrate Central and Eastern European countries, the enlargement policy of the European Union (EU) is at a crossroads. Within the EU, there is a broad consensus on the fact that the current enlargement policy is no longer fit for purpose, and yet there is no agreement on the next steps: how fast should the EU proceed with future rounds of enlargement? How should the next waves of accession be sequenced? And crucially, how should enlargement policy be reformed? Considering its past shortcomings and the current challenges that it faces, enlargement policy needs to be fully revamped.

This paper resulted from a workshop at the 11th Genshagen Forum for Franco-German Dialogue (June 8 and 9, 2023) with the topic “Something New in the East: Perspectives on the Enlargement of the European Union”. The Genshagen Forum for French-German Dialogue has been organized since 2010. Considering the numerous challenges that Europe is facing, Germany and France must take responsibility regarding the future of the EU and join forces for the development of shared strategies. The Genshagen Forum actively encourages this process by promoting a result-oriented dialogue between mid-career leaders from both countries.