The EU’s enlargement process is at a cross-roads. There have been some positive steps recently, but these are not in themselves credibly answering the question whether the process is really on track for a new round of accessions, even over a long-term horizon; or whether the long and complex procedures are masking a political reality that the process is subject to fundamental blockage factors in the hands of various member states. The Western Balkan states – government and civil society – may be diplomatic in their conversations with the EU, but basically they are deeply disillusioned over their accession prospects. Ukraine and Moldova remain for the time being somewhat optimistic. For Ukraine, given the already traumatic impact of the war, this raises the very important challenge of expectations management.
This piece was originally published on the SCEEUS website.
