How to make the EU ready for Enlargement: Member States’ perspective
How to make the EU ready for Enlargement: Member States’ perspective

Author(s): Marta Szpala
Subject(s): International relations/trade, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development
Published by: EUROPEUM - Institut pro evropskou politiku
Summary/Abstract: The credibility of the full-fledged membership promise for the Western Balkan countries has been significantly weakened in the past years, and the current debates on the gradual integration and the idea of concentric circles of integration rather enhance than dispel doubts regarding the outcome of the process desired by member states – full-fledged membership, accession to the Single Market only, or maybe some kind of deeper cooperation based on sectoral integration. The EU’s internal debate on enlargement has become in-ward looking and focused predominantly on the absorption capacity and necessary internal adjustment of the EU. Moreover, this debate omits the main challenge – how to make aspiring countries enlargement ready. Currently, none of them is and probably will not be ready in the foreseeable future, as enlargement policy lost its credibility and effectiveness, especially in the most crucial area of democratic governance. The Freedom House Nations in Transit reports reveal that the democratic institutions are still weak in most of the countries rated as partly free. Since 2017, only one recorded some improvements (Kosovo), Serbia's situation significantly deteriorated and in the case of the others, scores have not changed.

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