Overcoming the enlargement deadlock: An action plan for the incoming EU Leadership

Natasha Wunsch (1) , Marko Kmezic , Corina Stratulat , Nikolaos Tzifakis

1 CEE - Centre d'études européennes et de politique comparée (Sciences Po, CNRS)

EU enlargement policy appears to have reached a deadlock. Following years of stagnation and relative neglect, the European Commission’s attempts in 2018 to reinvigorate the EU’s engagement with the Western Balkans and to provide a credible enlargement perspective to the region have been thwarted by a lack of commitment on the part of (some) EU member states. The October 2019 European Council decision to once again postpone the opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia is but the latest in a long series of delays in the enlargement process over the past years. This latest stunt has left the region reeling, with local leaders alternately endorsing a rapprochement with Russia and China or calling for snap elections to confirm their countries’ European path. The new BiEPAG brief which was presented during the policy event in European Policy Centre on November 14, offers recommendations on: Overcoming the enlargement deadlock: An action plan for the incoming EU Leadership

Domaines: Science politique

Natasha Wunsch, Marko Kmezic, Corina Stratulat, Nikolaos Tzifakis. Overcoming the enlargement deadlock: An action plan for the incoming EU Leadership. 2019. ⟨hal-02386397v1⟩