Enlargement and the Future of Europe

This book analyses Member States’ and EU neighbours’ national visions for the enlargement of the European Union (EU), highlighting 41 national histories, policies, and corresponding public perceptions of European integration. In a geopolitical context in which Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine has renewed the impetus for EU enlargement, national views vary considerably on the timing, conditions, and reforms necessary to welcome Eastern neighbours and the Western Balkans countries into the European family. Moreover, EU enlargement policy is not only an investment in peace and stability; it has also become a political tool in response to the exploitation of interdependencies and illiberal pressures. This book presents concrete policy recommendations to national governments and the EU on how to move forward productively.

Dr. Michael Kaeding is the Jean Monnet Professor for European Integration and European Union Politics at the Institute of Political Science of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. He is a visiting fellow at the University of Ljubljana and of the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht, member of the flying faculties of the College of Europe, Bruges, and the Turkish-German University in Istanbul.

Dr. Johannes Pollak is a Professor of International Relations and Rector of Webster Vienna Private University, Austria. In the summer 2019, he was elected chairperson of the Board of the Institute of European Politics in Berlin. He is also senior fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna.

Paul Schmidt is the Secretary General of the Austrian Society for European Politics, which promotes and supports analysis and communication on European affairs. Prior to that he worked at the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, both in Vienna and at their Representative Office in Brussels at the Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union.