Policy brief

As geopolitical competition intensifies, EU enlargement has become a strategic necessity rather than a technical process. To remain the dominant actor in its neighbourhood, the bloc must strengthen democratic resilience and reduce external dependencies

The EU is still seen as the Western Balkans’ anchor for stability and modernisation. But where reforms remain invisible and institutions remain captured, European support risks strengthening expectations without delivering democratic trust.

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 global order no longer favours Western dominance, and Europe’s peripheries have become battlegrounds for competing powers. Yet, the EU’s enlargement policy has not kept pace with this new geopolitical reality

After a string of votes marred by Russian interference, Moldova is gearing up to elect its new parliament in September. As the election approaches, the Kremlin seems to be intensifying its efforts to thwart the president’s pro-European party, PAS, threatening the country’s EU accession

Together with the Ukrainians, Europeans should begin—now—to draw up a “beyond the horizon” plan for Ukraine in readiness for a ceasefire or even a peace deal

EU leaders have to learn lessons from Ukraine if they want to be truly ready to take responsibility for Europe’s security

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

Over the past decade, the global geopolitical context has changed significantly. We have seen a power shift with a more assertive Russia and China and the rise of a more complex and competitive multi-polar system.

Over the past two years, the EU has helped Ukraine and Moldova to diversify away from Russian fossil fuels. This has significantly strengthened their energy sovereignty – but improving the efficiency and cleanness of their energy sectors would bring further mutual benefits Protestors attend a demonstration against the Russian invasion on Ukraine and to demand the stoppage of energy trading with Russia, in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday,