Ioannis Alexandris at a roundtable discussion on EU enlargement in the Westerna Balkans, organised by EUROPEUM

On 1 October, ELIAMEP’s Research Fellow, Ioannis Alexandris, participated in an expert roundtable on “Prospects for the EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans: A Missed Opportunity or a Strategic Turning Point?” held in Brussels and organised by EUROPEUM. 

The discussion brought together experts from think tanks like the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA), Carnegie Europe, and the Hungarian Institute for International Affairs (HIIA), focusing on the state of reforms in the Western Balkans, the role of Central and Eastern European countries in driving the enlargement agenda, and the importance of societal buy-in both in candidate countries and within the EU. Participants highlighted that Russia’s war against Ukraine and wider geopolitical shifts make enlargement more urgent, but also politically contested in some EU capitals that are witnessing the (re)surge of eurosceptic forces.

In his intervention, Ioannis Alexandris highlighted the growing influence of radical right and Eurosceptic parties across the EU and their implications for enlargement. Referring to his recent ELIAMEP study under the think nea – New Narratives of EU integration initiative, he stressed the need to shift the narrative from one dominated by the risks and costs of enlargement to one that emphasises the opportunity costs of non-enlargement. He also highlighted the importance of reaching beyond the usual echo chambers and engaging with more sceptical parts of European societies that are often targeted electorally by eurosceptic political forces.