Widening and Deepening? Preparing the EU for the Integration of new Member States

While the debates on the internal reforms necessary for EU enlargement have been going on for three decades, Russia’s war against Ukraine, in addition to the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe, recently led the EU, and especially France and Germany, to subject these stakes to a process of intense reconsideration. EU institutions and the member states should strive to approach the various individual measures holistically rather than in isolation – as part of a pooled and coordinated process.

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.