Rebuilding Credibility in EU Enlargement Policy

The European Union has many candidates for membership. It is currently conducting negotiations with Albania, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the accession processes are complicated: Many countries would prefer to become part of the union of states sooner rather than later. At the same time, many member states favour EU structural reform first in order to strengthen the Union's ability to act. The current policy paper on the reform debate analyses the arguments for and against a rapid enlargement of the EU and provides recommendations for policy-makers.

The Heinrich Böll Foundation has invited experts to provide impetus for the EU reform debate in a number of policy areas. The result is a series of policy papers, some of which propose pragmatic approaches, others a change of direction. In their entirety, they are intended to improve the EU's capacity to act, as well as make it more democratic, ecological and socially just. Read the other papers here.