The Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG), the European Fund for the Balkans, and the Southeast Europe Association (SOG) organised the online discussion on different proposals to reinvigorate EU enlargement, which are currently being discussed in the public. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine strongly altered the geostrategic positioning and relevance of the European Union, and evoked a new sense of urgency and importance of EU enlargement among member states. With the recent granting of candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, it is high time to discuss the effectiveness of the enlargement process and of different proposals to reform it.

Our panelists presented and discussed different proposal, ranging from ESI’s proposal to the “Staged Accession” proposal, developed by a group of think tankers, to the most recent mentioning of the French President Emmanuel Macron of a so-called “European Political Community”. What is in there, how feasible are these models, how do the different models relate to each other, and who would support/oppose them and why are some of the questions we focused on in this debate. The discussion took place on Monday, July 4th, 2022.

Opening Remarks:
Manuel Sarrazin, German Federal Government Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans

Moderator:
Florian Bieber, Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group, Board Member of the Southeast Europe Association

Speakers:
Chloé Goupille Europe Advisor, Cabinet of French President Emmanuel Macron
Milena Lazarević Centre for European Policy Adnan Ćerimagić European Stability Initiative Florent Marciacq Observatoire des Balkans, Fondation Jean Jaurès

Watch the discussion at the following link