Roundtable in Chișinău: Strengthening Societal Preparedness for EU Enlargement 

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Roundtable in Chișinău: Strengthening Societal Preparedness for EU Enlargement 

On 17 June 2026, IDM and its cooperation partner Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Moldova jointly organised a roundtable on „Societal Preparedness for EU Enlargement: The Role of Think Tanks and Cross-Border Cooperation“ at KAS Moldova’s premises in Chișinău. 

The event brought together think tank experts, civil society representatives, and policymakers from EU member states, candidate countries, and Moldova to address one of the central challenges of the enlargement process: the persistent information gap among European citizens. 

Recent Eurobarometer data underlines the urgency: while 56% of EU citizens support further enlargement, 67% report feeling poorly informed about the process. This gap creates fertile ground for disinformation and fear-based narratives that can erode public trust. Support for enlargement also varies widely across member states, ranging from 79% in Sweden to as low as 43–45% in Austria, France, and Czechia. 

The discussion focused on how communication about EU enlargement can be improved, what role think tanks and cross-border cooperation can play in bridging knowledge gaps, and how the Moldovan perspective can enrich these efforts. 

The roundtable was held under IDM’s CitizEn project (Citizens for EU Enlargement), funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The project unites think tanks and NGOs from 11 EU member states with elevated levels of enlargement scepticism and from candidate countries to develop a joint communication strategy and toolkit for citizen engagement around EU enlargement. 

IDM was represented by Director Sebastian Schäffer and Research Associate Sophia Beiter. The event also welcomed participants from CEPS, IEP, IAI, CSD, GLOBSEC, IPRE, IPRI, CeMI, Europeum, and several Moldovan civil society and government stakeholders, including State Secretary Cristina Cerevate of the European Integration Bureau.

IDM would like to express their gratitude to Brigitta Triebel and Snejana Serebrian from KAS Moldova for the excellent cooperation and looks forward to continuing this important dialogue.