Expert Roundtable: Why the Long Wait? Accelerating EU Accession through Early Institutional Participation

On 16 February 2026, the IDM hosted an expert roundtable titled “Why the Long Wait? Accelerating EU Accession through Early Institutional Participation”. The discussion presented interim research findings on how candidate countries could be gradually integrated into EU decision-making processes – particularly through earlier participation in high-level meetings such as the Council. 

The research was done in the framework of the Policy Lab initiative of the Central European University (CEU) in cooperation with IDM. It was presented by Nia Ivanidze, Greta Vaino, Luna Dupalo and Milana Bagdasarian (with Professor Eirini Patsea and Professor Andrew Cartwright as academic mentors). The exchange provided a platform to gather feedback, share expertise, and refine policy recommendations within the framework of the research project.