IDM Short Insights 52: Make Europe Greater Again? Key findings from the new EU enlargement reports
In this IDM Short Insights episode, Sophia Beiter reports from Brussels, where EU officials and experts react to the freshly published enlargement package and its assessments of Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans. She highlights which candidates have made real progress – and where concerns remain, from rule of law and media freedom to economic convergence.
From Vienna, Sebastian Schäffer looks at the other side of the equation: what reforms the EU itself needs if it is to take in new members, and how to prepare societies for what is to come. Together, they ask whether this enlargement round can both strengthen the Union and keep the promise made to candidates on Europe’s eastern flank – or whether delayed reforms in Brussels could once again slow things down. The conclusion: It is time to make EU enlargement real!
Transcript:
1. What are the EU enlargement reports?
In the beginning of November 2025, the European Commission presented its annual enlargement progress reports here in Brussels. These reports offer a detailed assessment of the reform progress made by the countries that want to join the European Union. As expected, Montenegro is the frontrunner before Albania, Moldova, and Ukraine, while on the other hand, North Macedonia, and especially Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Georgia, received less positive feedback. The European Commission also intended to publish a pre-enlargement reform report, but this has been postponed.
2. Why is this important?
While the enlargement progress reports assess the situation in the candidate countries, the pre-enlargement reform report includes reform ideas and suggestions for the EU to implement to become fit for enlargement. This is necessary as the EU enlargement process has become increasingly ineffective, hampered by bilateral vetoes and enlargement fatigue.
3. What were the key messages of the EU enlargement forum?
While we are still waiting for the report to be published, an enlargement forum took place in Brussels, and it sent a very clear message. It remains a merit-based process, however, it has become a geopolitical necessity. Past enlargement rounds have shown that it has contributed to stability and prosperity of the continent, but nowadays it has also become a security necessity. We have postponed enlargement for far too long, and it is now time to move forward with Moldova, Ukraine and the Western Balkan countries in order to unify the European continent.
4. What’s next?
Moving ahead with enlargement means we also have to get ready. While the candidate countries have to implement reforms, the EU must also do its part. Institutions, the budget, but also the rule of law framework. We also have to explain to our societies why EU enlargement matters. It protects our peace, it strengthens our security and it enhances our capabilities in an increasingly becoming dangerous world. Preparing our societies and the EU is equally important to the reforms that are being implemented in the candidate countries. The time is now to make EU enlargement real.
