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SerbiaEconomy16 days ago

Europe’s Enlargement’s Bargain on Ukraine, Balkans, Risks Backfiring

The article discusses the current state of the EU enlargement process, noting that while European leaders have expressed nominal support for expanding the Union since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there is no clear plan or strategy in place for managing the accession of ten potential new members. A senior German official describes enlargement as a necessary but unpopular geopolitical tool. The discussion has gained momentum due to Ukraine's peace plan, which includes the possibility of EU membership by 2027, prompting the EU Commission to explore various enlargement scenarios.

The EU enlargement process entered a new phase early this year. Leaders of the member states and EU institutions have, since the start of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, sounded nominally pro-enlargement. But a plan or strategy on how to prepare the EU for further enlargement, or on how the next phase would play out, with ten accession countries lined up, was hardly in place.

In the words of a high-ranking German official, “Enlargement is a tool – it’s not very popular but it’s a geopolitical necessity.”

The debate about enlargement entered a more dynamic phase in particular as part of Ukraine’s peace plan, which foresees it becoming an EU member as early as 2027.

This prompted the EU Commission  to devise different scenarios  on how to enlarge, and pushed member states into action to propose different ideas on how to move forward in the process.

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Balkan Insight (BIRN)IndependentCenter16 days ago
Europe’s Enlargement’s Bargain on Ukraine, Balkans, Risks Backfiring

The article discusses the current state of the EU enlargement process, noting that while European leaders have expressed nominal support for expanding the Union since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there is no clear plan or strategy in place for managing the accession of ten potential new members. A senior German official describes enlargement as a necessary but unpopular geopolitical tool. The discussion has gained momentum due to Ukraine's peace plan, which includes the possibility of EU membership by 2027, prompting the EU Commission to explore various enlargement scenarios.

Bias read (Center): The article presents a balanced overview of the EU enlargement process without overtly favoring any specific political stance. It highlights both the challenges and motivations behind the expansion, citing officials' perspectives without taking a side. There is no evident bias in the framing or word