What’s the future of the EU’s enlargement agenda?
Editorial 25 March 2024Editorial director: Nicola Frau
On March 12, the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen recommended to the Council of the European Union to open negotiations for the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU. Besides Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are currently eight countries recognised as “candidates”: Albania, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine.
For some of these countries, accession negotiations have not yet begun, for others, they are ongoing, and for others still, they have been stalled for years. Each of these countries has a different history and motivations from the others.
Ukraine and Moldova, driven by the threat from Russia, have accelerated the accession process, while Turkey’s accession process has been on hold since 2008, following regression in terms of democracy and fundamental rights.
In this issue of NEU, we will see how EU enlargement, which has been back on the agenda of the Twenty-Seven for over 2 years now—since Russia began its aggression in Ukraine—is not only a political issue but above all a topic that concerns the future structure of the European Union and its balances.
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