The Role of Civil Society in Re-shaping EU Enlargement Policy in the Context of Geopolitical Changes - The Model for Staged Accession to the EU as a Case Study
The Role of Civil Society in Re-shaping EU Enlargement Policy in the Context of Geopolitical Changes - The Model for Staged Accession to the EU as a Case Study

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić
Subject(s): Politics, International relations/trade, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, Geopolitics
Published by: Centar za evropske politike CEP
Keywords: EU; enlargement policy; civil society; role; geopolitics;
Summary/Abstract: Since the last expansion of the European Union in 2013, the enlargement policy ceased to be a priority for the Union. This happened despite the civil society organisations’ (CSOs) warnings of the perils such a stance might bring. The inability of CSOs to impact the EU’s policymaking agenda was a result of the EU’s traditional struggles with the inclusivity of non-state actors concerning policy development. With the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022, however, the tides have changed. In the midst of geopolitical challenges, EU officials started emphasising that the enlargement policy was back on the agenda. The paper argues that this shift has created a strategic opportunity for CSOs to carve out a more distinctive position within the EU’s policymaking process. This was achieved through their robust advocacy for innovative ideas concerning enlargement, thereby positioning CSOs as influential contributors to the evolution of EU policies.

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