Brussels Expert Workshop Highlights Security-Enlargement Nexus

Photo credit: KAS

Sebastian Schäffer, Director of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM), took part in the final Central Europe Plus workshop hosted by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Brussels from 14-16 July 2025. The event focused on the EU’s enlargement agenda in the context of growing geopolitical instability.

Schäffer contributed to a panel on Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, emphasizing Moldova’s reforms, the challenging but still somehow hopeful situation in Ukraine, and the urgent need to keep enlargement momentum alive. Other sessions covered institutional reform, the fragility of the Western Balkans, as well as Russia’s and China’s interference in the region.

The workshop concluded with a visit to NATO Headquarters, where participants were briefed on defense investment strategies and NATO’s engagement with Ukraine and Moldova. The visit underscored the alignment between EU enlargement and regional security efforts.

Thank you very much to Michael Stellwag for facilitating the invitation and the whole team at KAS Europe for the perfect organisation, as well as all the efforts put into making this a very insightful exchange with fantastic experts!

 

Read the article „Enlargement Is Security: Why We Must Tackle Russian Influence Now“ by Sebastian Schäffer.