On March 5, REUNIR consortium members contributed to a panel on the EU enlargement at the CEPS Ideas Lab 2024. The annual Brussels-based high level event brought together experts, academics and policy makers to discuss the future of the EU, upcoming elections and fear of democratic backsliding, external pressures and the ways to keep the EU enlargement process on track.
Following December’s decision by the European Council to begin accession talks with Ukraine, the first steps towards the next round of EU enlargement have begun. For the Western Balkans, the Commission has proposed a new Growth Pact, which would offer condition-based financial incentives. However, these incentives do not equate to the more radical proposal for ‘Staged Accession’ that CEPS is currently advocating. Meanwhile, the European Council continues to declare that it is in favour of ‘gradual’ integration. This is frustratingly vague and highlights the lack of real progress in the enlargement process.
This session weighed the pros and cons of staged accession vs. gradual integration and deliberated on the ways forward that could be included in the European Council’s 2024-29 Strategic Agenda which it hopes to adopt in June. These recommendations could also guide the priorities of the next European Commission President.
The panel, moderated by Steven Blockmans, Senior Research Fellow at CEPS, featured a lineup of distinguished speakers:
- Drita Abdiu Halili, State Secretary and Deputy Chief Negotiator, Republic of North Macedonia
- Maria Alesina, European Liberal Forum
- Thomas Hagleitner, Head of Unit, DG Near, European Commission
- Florian Bieber, Professor at the University of Graz
- Michael Emerson, Associate Senior Research Fellow at CEPS
