EU Enlargement Policy Research Articles

The Challenges of “Renewed” Enlargement to the Western Balkan Countries

In the last two decades, acting as an anchor for a transition to democracy and a market economy, the EU has given membership perspectives to the Western Balkan countries of Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Croatia. At the outset, the EU triggered democratic reforms, empowered civil society organisations, and established democratic rules in those countries. However, on Croatia’s joining the EU in 2013, the Union demonstrated what can be best described as apparent enlargement fatigue and took a break from the widening of Western Balkan countries for the five subsequent years. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 revitalised the EU enlargement policy towards Western Balkan countries for security and geostrategic considerations. In that purview, this paper seeks to explore contextual constraints associated with the EU’s renewed enlargement policy towards Western Balkan countries. Using the conceptual framework of Alcaro and his co-authors (2022), it is argued that the EU renewed enlargement operates in a context driven by the following three key processes: (1) multi-actor geostrategic competition; (2) regional fragmentation; and (3) intra-EU contestation. In this context, considering international, regional, and institutional contextual constraints, the EU’s leverage on the Western Balkan countries would not be taken for granted, suggesting that the EU needs to develop hybrid strategies transcending classic tools of enlargement.

EU Enlargement Policy between the Chronological Precedence of the Western Balkans and the Geopolitical Urgency in the Eastern Neighborhood

This study adopts a realist approach to explore how geopolitical factors influence the European Union’s (EU) decision to expand into neighbouring regions of strategic importance or vulnerability to major powers’ influence. It specifically examines the obstacles posed by the absence of a unanimous stance on „pre-scheduled” accessions, as seen in the earlier „eastern enlargement” rounds. It is argued that the present geopoliticized EU enlargement policy seems to be guided by realist factors, although it is characterized by an incongruity between strategic rhetoric and strategic actions. This inconsistency between expressed intentions and actual measures is more evident in the Western Balkans than in the Eastern neighbourhood. Through the selected, broadly set realist elements – groupism, egoism and power-centrism – the EU’s foreign policy strategy and behaviour are examined, searching for a gap between the discursive and practical domains in both regions. The research considers that the EU’s response has not predominantly been strategic but rather tactical, reflecting the enlargement policy’s longstanding deficiencies, coupled with the urgent need to extend commitments to the eastern partners facing immediate security threats. Such tendencies are disadvantageous for the Western Balkans, which became a lower priority for the EU despite its chronological precedence in the enlargement domain. While ideally, both enlargement regions should be granted an „accession timetable” along with on-ground democratic reforms, the authors highlight that due to differing geopolitical dynamics and pressure, the outcomes for the two regions may either diverge in terms of potential favouring of the new candidates or, perhaps more likely, converge – meaning that the accession of either region might be postponed once the geopolitical urgency subsides.

Georgia-EU Cooperation in the Field of Culture in Multilateral and Bilateral International Format

In the realm of international relations, the significance of culture and soft power is steadily growing, particularly in the establishment of diplomatic ties and the fostering of cooperation among nations. As Georgia progresses in its integration into the European Union—a political and economic endeavor given the union's nature—its motto of "unity in diversity" exemplifies the European commitment to peace, citizen well-being, and the celebration of cultural diversity. The European Union stands as a prominent example of effective soft power utilization in international relations, with culture representing one of its most intricate integration domains. In the context of Georgia's deepening ties with the EU, a thorough examination of European and developed countries' cultural pathways and experiences becomes imperative. This analysis is essential for Georgia to chart a coherent, unified, and effective cultural policy, both domestically and on the global stage. Following the European Commission's recommendation on November 8, 2023, Georgia was granted the EU candidate status by the European Council on December 14, officially becoming part of the EU's enlargement policy. Consequently, it becomes even more pertinent for Georgia to scrutinize and understand the EU's cultural policy, a cornerstone of its foreign relations strategy. The influence of cultural policy on the EU-Eastern Partnership relations emerges as the significant force shaping their development. Cultural cooperation serves as a linchpin, fostering mutual understanding, identity preservation, and the cultivation of shared values. The analysis of progress and challenges within Georgia-EU cooperation, both bilaterally and multilaterally, offers insight into how cultural relations are cultivated within the Eastern Partnership framework. The EU cultural policy, operationalized through various mechanisms like association agreements and support packages, prioritizes democracy, human rights, and cultural cooperation, adapting to the unique circumstances of each partner country. Examining the EU's cultural policy within the Eastern Partnership context underscores culture's pivotal role in diplomacy, cooperation, and economic development. Establishing an effective vision centered on cultural cooperation is crucial for Georgia's engagement with the EU, positioning it as a cornerstone of the partnership's success. Keywords: EU cultural policy, soft power, European integration, European perspective.

European Union Enlargement Policy with Special Reference to Bosnia and Herzegovina – Preferences and Downsides

By virtue of several European visionaries, led by Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet, whose noble goal was to end centuries of wars and bloodshed on the European continent, today we have the European Union, the most successful integration project of the 20th century. The European Union has come a long way to achieve the ultimate goal of political stability, based on equality in diversity, rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights, as well as the economic growth and development of all its members. From the original six countries that founded the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, the European Union, through seven rounds of enlargement, has grown into a community of 27 prosperous countries, which both individually and together within the Union, have become a significant player on the global political and economic scene. The aim of this paper is to research and analyze the complexity of the European Union enlargement policy, its preferences and downsides, with special emphasis on Bosnia and Herzegovina and its integration processes, following its recent candidate status. The main research objective is to identify the factors that may enable or constrain effective EU enlargement policy and its implementation in BiH. The paper argues that the final goal - the EU acquis transposition and enforcement by enlargement countries - may present the biggest hurdle on the EU trajectory. The research methods include qualitative methods - analysis of the relevant literature, publications, official EU data, as well as the EU and BiH policy documents and strategies.

COMMON DYNAMICS IN THE EU INTEGRATION PATH OF THE WESTERN BALKANS

The European Union's role in the region and in the world is changing rapidly due to several internal dynamics and external crises and challenges. EU's project of integration remains a role model for peace and stability in the region and beyond. The EU Integration has emerged as a shared key priority for the EU institutions and Western Balkan countries that are in different trajectories of the accession process due to several dynamics and developments within the Western Balkan countries, regional dynamics, and enlargement skepticism among EU member states. While a comprehensive academic thinking exists about the EU's enlargement policy at its approach to this region, this study aims to understand the internal/regional dynamics in the EU integration path of Western Balkan countries through an overview of their history of integration as well as the EC Progress Reports (2022) for each country. It combines theoretical and empirical knowledge to offer a descriptive analysis of internal and regional dynamics in the Western Balkans affecting their EU integration paths.

In-between a dream and a nightmare? Assessing the impact of 'Wartime Politicisation' on EU enlargement policy after 2022

In-between a dream and a nightmare? Assessing the impact of 'Wartime Politicisation' on EU enlargement policy after 2022

Motiv osiguranja u nemačkom političkom diskursu o evropskim integracijama

Since the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis in 2013, there have been repeated statements by officials and politicians of the Federal Republic of Germany highlighting cooperation within the structures of the European Union as a kind of "insurance policy" for each member state. This paper examines the use of this term as a metaphor within political rhetoric to illustrate the perceived benefits of EU membership in the context of foreign policy and security challenges. In this sense, the European Union is portrayed as a safety net for its members amidst strained relations with Russia, given that country's role in triggering and shaping the dynamics of the Ukrainian crisis (and beyond). Additionally, the analysis explores the changing perception regarding EU enlargement policy, specifically how it is increasingly viewed as a tool for advancing European security and other political interests. Following a brief overview of the geopolitical nature of the war risk in Ukraine, the paper analyzes statements by German officials, seeking to clarify them through theoretical approaches in international relations (e.g., constructivism, liberal intergovernmentalism, realism) on the one hand, and through technical-conceptual definitions of the term "insurance" and related elements on the other hand.

Роль Евросоюза в (де)стабилизации постъюгославского пространства

Since the launch of the Stabilization and Association Process in 1999, the European Union has become the main conflict mediator on the post-Yugoslav space. The EU’s policy towards the region of the so-called Western Balkans implies the juxtaposition of integration and conflict settlement goals, which was not the case during the previous enlargement waves. Besides promoting peacebuilding initiatives through traditional foreign policy instruments, Brussels has been practicing a complicated system of incentives and sanctions related to the European integration procedures. Progress of the post-Yugoslav republics in enlargement is conditional on their willingness to implement particular requirements. The article analyzes the efficiency of the European Union’s conditionality from the perspective of regional stability. The ambivalence of such approach lies in politicization of peacebuilding agenda as the EU advances its specific image of recent civil wars in the Balkans. Using the methods of retrospective analysis of European politics, including foreign policy documents, the author substantiates the political nature of the demands made by Brussels on the parties to the conflicts. The distinct feature of the EU enlargement policy is the hierarchization of actors in foreign policy processes, which provides various countries with different negotiating power. This conditionality, due to the value contradictions within the communities, leads to the point when the applied measures of settlement lead not to the expected normalization, but to the aggravation of the situation and polarization of the parties. Thus, the author identifies the discrepancy between the declared objectives of the European Union as a mediator and the practical results. This inconsistency has prompted the decay of neighbor relations on the post-Yugoslav space as the EU member states attempted to instrumentalize their position within the Union for the ultimate solution of bilateral disputes with candidate countries, blocking the integration process in general.

The EU's enlargement and NATO's prospects in the context of the war and post-war political dynamics

Combining EU and NATO analyses is useful for projecting an integrated vision for the future of Europe. The topic of a new EU enlargement got political momentum after 2022, more than 20 years after the previous wave of optimism and interest for the post-communist Central and Eastern European countries. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is certainly the main reason of this renewed interest. The European Council of mid-December 2023 decided to open the negotiations for EU accession with two new candidates, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, marking this way a historic shift of the EU enlargement policy in relation to the post-Soviet republics, after the accession of the Baltic States in 2004. This research explores the turbulent context in which both the EU and NATO should shape their convergent perspectives for the next institutional reforms, not only limited to enlargement(s) but also regarding the new (external as well as internal) contestations and revisionism. The article also deals with the major challenges of the international security context and addresses an essential question - Does Europe need a Plan B?

Enlargement policy of the European Union in the Balkan region. The Kosovo case: Integration?

Since the 1990s, the European Union began to develop a process of expansion throughout the rest of Europe, which is still actively carried out today. In this sense, one of the focuses of the EU enlargement policy was, and still is, the Balkan region and, in particular, Kosovo, a territory of acute conflicts for ethno-religious reasons. Consequently, this paper aims to analyze the implementation of the European Union's enlargement policy in the Balkan region and, specifically, in Kosovo. Therefore, it will be approached from its origin to its deployment in Southeastern Europe, in order to then demonstrate the implementation of the different mechanisms that sustain this policy, based on the case study of Kosovo. The enlargement policy in the Balkan region is one of the most effective instruments of the European Union's political action. It responds to the strategic interests of the organization in terms of stability, security and conflict prevention.

EU enlargement in wartime Europe: three dimensions and scenarios

ABSTRACT The enlargement policy of the European Union from 2013 to 2022 was not only ineffective, but also lacked an active enlargement drive. Russia’s war in Ukraine changed the equation of costs and benefits in favour of new members and gave the EU a geopolitical incentive to restart enlargement. Enlargement is not only a geopolitical strategy, however: it also requires successful state-building efforts in the neighbourhood. Moreover, it is closely interlinked with the EU’s internal development. This article analyses the current evolution of the EU enlargement policy as it emerges from the interplay of geopolitics, state-building challenges, and the EU’s internal dynamics. Drawing on original interviews with officials, the paper also presents three scenarios for the coming decade. The paper concludes that to achieve its foreign policy objectives in the neighbourhood, the EU cannot continue ‘business as usual’ with enlargement. On the contrary, the policy of 2013–2022 needs to be replaced by a more effective model that encourages candidate countries to undertake genuine efforts towards democratic development. At the same time, reforms and compromises are required at the EU’s end. Finally, the EU needs to better address the security needs of the applicant countries already during the accession process.

The Eastern Neighbours and EU Security Policy: A Differentiated Integration Perspective

The EU’s decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova a candidate country status and the recognition of Georgia’s European perspective in June 2022 has significant effects for both the EU’s enlargement and security and defence policies. So far, ‘hard’ security issues have played little role in the framing of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Association Agreements (AAs) with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Their full integration into EU security and defence arrangements will thus require considerable strategy-making and implementation efforts. This article discusses the extent to which existing external Differentiated Integration (DI) constellations can be seen as ‘building blocks’ for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia’s prospective full integration into the EU’s security and defence architecture. It is shown that, in legal and practical terms, such DI constellations are conducive to the deepening of these countries’ integration with the EU in the security and defence domain. From the political viewpoint, the focus on DI with the new accession countries may, however, be (mis)used as a substitute for fullscale integration into the EU security and defence architecture. We, nonetheless, suggest several pilot domains that can be used to test the limits of new accession countries’ DI with the Union. EU security and defence policy, EU enlargement policy, accession, European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), Russia’s war against Ukraine, European Defence Agency, European Defence Fund, Permanent Structured Cooperation

THE EUROPEAN UNION’S ENLARGEMENT POLICY CHANGES IN THE LAST DECADE – A SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE OR DYSFUNCTIONAL TRANSFORMATION?

Since 2004, the European Union’s (EU) transformation and integration potential has been evident and limited. An unusual pattern of perceived threats and challenges precluded the EU’s enlargement. One country from the Western Balkans’ (WB) fold was found suitable over the last ten years to join the EU. The rest of the WB are still queuing in front of the gates of the EU family. The purpose of this paper is to assess how recent changes in the international arena, including suffering on Ukraine’s soil and providing candidate status for Ukraine at the same time, affected the EU “red lines” in the enlargement process, together with the lessons learned from the considerable enlargement in 2004. Does the EU enlargement policy as primarily part of the EU foreign policy still have the effect of a “screwdriver,” or has it eventually become a “hammer” of hard power and force by hitting suddenly foreign policy problems that look like nails (Kagan, 2003), as it seems in Ukraine’s example? Did the Lisbon Treaty bring profound transformation to enlargement policy, and is it still one of the EU’s successful stories? This article aims to answer these questions. The assessment method is based on the International practice theory approach and Christian Bueger’s and Frank Gadinger’s definition and determinants of practice known as the Commitments of International Practice Theory (relying on elements of practice defined by Emanuel Adler and Vincent Pouliot). This approach judges whether or not the EU is a global actor that fulfills all inquiries of creating international practice from the enlargement policy. Based on the results, it is confirmed that the EU is a worldwide actor surviving in times of global transformations and that the enlargement policy is a valuable international practice. However, changes in the conditionality policy in the EU accession process could lead to several scenarios, and one of them is the loss of interest in some of the candidate countries, which could cause perceiving the enlargement policy as a dysfunctional transformation in the future.

Effects of absolute levels of neighbourhood ethnic diversity vs. changes in neighbourhood diversity on prejudice: Moderation by individual differences in personality

This paper examines drivers of prejudicial attitudes among adults in the UK, focusing on the interaction between ethnic out-group size and personality traits. Leveraging data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), we use two survey waves carried out in 2000 and 2008, just before and after the EU enlargement policy that drove a wave of immigration in the UK. We test the extent to which personality traits moderate the relationship between both absolute levels and changes in ethnic diversity at the local level, respectively, and prejudice. Key findings suggest that personality traits, in particular one's agreeableness, are important for conditioning how the proportion of non-white British in one's neighbourhood affects out-group attitudes. We observe a tendency towards polarisation in prejudicial attitudes between low-/high-agreeableness residents as their neighbourhoods become more diverse. These findings have important implications for theorising how contextual and individual characteristics jointly affect intergroup relations.

EU ENLARGEMENT POLICY IN 2022: KEY CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE UNION’S TRANSFORMATION POWER CONCEPT

The article examines the key conclusions and recommendations to candidate countries and potential candidates for accession, set out by the European Commission in the annual Communication on the EU enlargement policy in 2022. For better understanding of the essence of the Commission’s Communication, this article the author analyses the realities faced by the EU with the beginning of the Russian Federation’s full-scale war against Ukraine. According to scholars and experts, the war changed Europe more profoundly than any event since the end of the Cold War. It is found that the war clearly emphasized the attractiveness of EU membership and strengthened its transformative power, which was formed thanks to the values, diversity of the societies of the Member States, fundamental freedoms and way of life of the Union. In this context, one can agree with the statement of scholars that the real challenges that the EU cannot avoid if it wants to become more authoritative and strategically autonomous are the strengthening, not the weakening of the European level (institutional and legal systems, common EU policies) under a strict democratic control. The analysis of the conclusions and recommendations in the Commission’s Communication allowed us to conclude that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the policy of EU enlargement was returned to the forefront of the EU’s agenda. Evidence of this was, firstly, granting the status of a candidate for accession to Ukraine and Moldova and a potential candidate – to Georgia, and, secondly, a joint search by the EU and its Member States for ways to activate and speed up the process of European integration of the countries of the Western Balkans region. In addition, it should be noted that the cross-cutting themes of the Commission’s conclusions and recommendations are EU security and energy policy, key areas of the Green Course, in particular decarbonization of the economy, as well as the issue of recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. A separate emphasis in the Commission’s Communication is placed on the reforms continued by the countries of the Western Balkans, which are necessary to fulfill the accession criteria.

The EU Eastern Enlargement Policy Under the Pressure of Geopolitics. The Bulgarian Case (Russia’s Little Brother)

The Bulgarian case is symptomatic of the susceptibility of the EU enlargement policy under geopolitical pressure. The aim of this text is to add arguments to the statement that the dynamic of Bulgaria’s accession to the EU has been strongly influenced by external factors – mainly Yugoslavia’s disintegration and the subsequential Kososvo crisis. This crisis brought up the issue of the huge Russian influence over Bulgarian politics and societies and, as a result, predetermined the perception of Bulgaria as a high security risk for EU. In this situation, Bulgaria was an object of de-securitisation by the EU’s enlargement policy, but at the same time its main instrument, namely, the conditionality policy, was neglected. From this point of view, the Bulgarian case is important because: it illustrates the effects of this discrepancy to date; it is instructive in the context of EU enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans with huge Russian influence; and also in the context of the acceleration of the EU’s eastern enlargement policy toward Ukraine and Moldova because of the pressure of the ongoing Russian military invasion. The opportunity for accelerating the pre-accession process under the infl uence of unpredicted external events created prerequisites for politicising the whole process, including the political use of the conditionality and the consequently unfinished preaccession preparation of the newcomers. The research task is fulfilled by a synthesis of primary and secondary sources organised around three main questions – Which external circumstances? Why? and, How? The results of a discourse analysis of interviews with key participants in Bulgaria’s EU integration process are used as a starting point.

THE POLITICAL CONDITIONALITY IN THE ENLARGEMENT OF EUROPEAN UNION: THE CYPRUS CASE

The political conditionality is an effective strategy of the EU enlargement policy, and it aims to provide a democratic bridge between candidate member states and the EU. Besides using the political conditionality, the EU assumes confirmation of democracy by the compliance of member states. Accordingly, the following question may arise ''why the political conditionality is the major strategy for EU?'' which is outlined in Article 6, 1: ''The Union founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, and respect for human rights, fundamental freedom, and legislation, principles which are common to the EU Member States.'' An article aims to explain how enlargement policies of the EU should follow the strategy of political conditionality. This paper will critically evaluate; the consequences of EU enlargement in 2004 and its effectiveness over candidate states. The main focus will be on the application of political conditionality in Cyprus and its correctness. Accordingly, the papers seek to analyze first how the EU's political conditionality was applied through the 2004 enlargement process and then on which grounds of political conditionality couldn't illustrate its effectiveness in the case of Cyprus

Ukraine’s Membership Application As a Trigger to Reform the EU Enlargement Policy

The European Union’s successive enlargements had a qualitative impact on the nature of the integration organization, entailing changes in the agenda and priorities, institutions, and decision-making process and also changing the attitude of other international actors towards the European Union. The EU’s decision to grant candidate status to Ukraine reflects a fundamental change in the logic and goals of the enlargement policy and will have a strategic impact on the design of integration processes both within the EU and on its periphery. This article is devoted to two aspects of the ongoing changes: (1) the geopoliticization of the enlargement policy and (2) the further development of differentiation processes and the prospect for new forms of external differentiation (partial membership).

Reinforcing the EU Enlargement Policy Towards Western Balkans: Access to the Single Market as a Credible Goal

Reinforcing the EU Enlargement Policy Towards Western Balkans: Access to the Single Market as a Credible Goal

Partnerstwo Wschodnie jako przestrzeń kształtowania się społeczeństwa obywatelskiego – planem kolejnego rozszerzenia UE?

EASTERN PARTNERSHIP AS A PLACE OF CIVIL SOCIETY FORMATION – A PLAN FOR THE NEXT EU ENLARGEMENT? The article is an attempt to look at the EU enlargement policy from the angle of the Eastern Partnership as a place of civil society formation. The aim is to present the main motives of the next EU enlargement to the east. The research was based on a qualitative methodology with the use of institutional, legal and comparative analysis. The research material covered original acts and press releases of EU institutions, key scientific studies and internet portals devoted to the issue. The research shows the shaping of civil society in the EaP states creating a new perspective for the program and speaks in favor of EU enlargement in this direction.