Frauke Seebass (Research Fellow, Wider Europe Programme – ELIAMEP & Researcher, think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration) was one of the authors of the compendium “Thinking Enlarged in 2026: Leveraging perspectives from future member states” (eds. Johannes Greubel, Liza Saris, Vanna Curin, Talisa Mazzon) published by EPC.
The compendium gathers reflections and recommendations from civil society organisations across EU member states and candidate countries following the December 2025 Thinking Enlarged Community Meeting organised by the European Policy Centre. It highlights practical ways to integrate an enlargement perspective into EU policymaking and strengthen civil society involvement in shaping policies on Europe’s future, while serving as a tool for coalition-building, message alignment, and agenda-setting to support the enlargement process in 2026.
Frauke Seebass contributed the chapter titled “Geopolitical competition and systemic rivalries as challenges for enlargement”. According to her, EU enlargement is unfolding in a much more challenging geopolitical environment marked by renewed military and hybrid threats, growing power competition, and the increasing influence of illiberal actors within Europe and its neighbourhood. While these dynamics make enlargement more urgent, they also weaken the EU’s leverage to enforce accession conditions, as some candidate countries resist aligning with EU foreign policy and rely on external partners that undermine democratic standards. In this context, she argues that stronger cooperation among democratic actors and greater involvement of civil society are essential, as civil society organisations can support enlargement by improving public communication, countering misinformation, monitoring democratic backsliding, and strengthening cross-border cooperation and societal resilience.
You can read more here.
