Sebastian Schäffer presents strategies for rethinking EU enlargement

Sebastian Schäffer, Director of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM), was once again invited to hold a presentation on possible strategies for rethinking EU enlargement. This event, co-organised by Campus Tivoli, the Robert Schuman Institute and Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, brought together people from conservative political parties in the Western Balkans, advocating the accession of these countries to the EU.

Schäffer presented the comparative analysis conducted by Sophia Beiter (Research Associate at the IDM) as part of the Charlemagne Prize Academy: A comparative approach to different models of EU integration: How to achieve a citizen-based and reformed EU enlargement strategy? This policy paper puts forward four proposals for reforming the EU enlargement process, including the Single Market Integration, the staged accession, the European Political Community and the Greater European Council. The presentation, followed by a discussion, also addressed the challenges associated with these proposals, such as the Member States’ vetoes with up to 1998 possible instances throughout an accession procedure. Meanwhile, concerns persist about the risks of a two-tier Europe and the potential stagnation of full accession procedures for the Western Balkans. We are looking forward to continue the very timely and necessary discussion and are grateful for the good cooperation!