Unpacking the 2023 Enlargement Package: A Wake-up Call for the Western Balkans
Unpacking the 2023 Enlargement Package: A Wake-up Call for the Western Balkans

Author(s): Marko Todorović, Strahinja Subotić
Subject(s): Security and defense, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Geopolitics, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Centar za evropske politike CEP
Keywords: 2023 Enlargement Package; Western Balkans; EU accession; Serbia; EU enlargement; geopolitical challenges; reform process; EU integration;
Summary/Abstract: In the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the intricate game of geopolitical considerations has prompted the EU to recalibrate its approach to enlargement. This recalibration has not gone unnoticed in the Western Balkans and former Eastern Partnership countries, where anticipation hangs in the air. Expectations are large, yet the undeniable truth lingers: the EU must reform its institutional groundwork for enlargement to materialise. Against this backdrop, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, has cast a hopeful gaze towards 2030 as a target date when the EU should complete its internal reforms to become enlargement-ready. Simultaneously, candidate and potential candidate countries are urged to amplify their reform efforts. Brussels remains resolute – any progression towards membership will be merit-based, with an unwavering commitment to the rule of law. As the anticipation builds, all eyes turn to the 2023 Enlargement Package so as to see what the Commission has to say about the progress of respective countries, while also accounting for the Commission’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

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