Separating fiscal facts from fear is crucial to EU enlargement

The Parliament published the op-ed entitled “Separating fiscal facts from fear is crucial to EU enlargement” by Dr Ioannis Armakolas (Head of the South-East Europe Programme – ELIAMEP and Director of the initiative think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration) and Ioannis Alexandris (Research Fellow, South-East Europe Programme – ELIAMEP and Research Associate on the initiative think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration). The piece was authored in the framework of the think nea – New Narratives of EU Integration initiative supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans.

Drawing on the initiative’s recent report on “The rise of radical right and Eurosceptic political forces and the impact on the EU’s enlargement policy” by Ioannis Alexandris, and the policy paper entitled “From Migration Fears to Missed Opportunities: The Cost of Politicising EU Enlargement” by Dr Ioannis Armakolas and Ioannis Alexandris, the piece highlights how the Commission’s €2 trillion budget proposal reframes enlargement as “a strategic investment in Europe’s stability and prosperity” by allocating €200 billion for candidate countries and a €100 billion facility for Ukraine. Past enlargements show that transitional tools and phased integration can manage costs without destabilizing EU finances, a point reinforced by recent studies estimating that even full-scale enlargement would only marginally raise the EU budget. The authors argue that fears of fiscal strain are overstated and are being politically weaponized. Enlargement is not a drain but a driver: it will expand the single market, boost competitiveness, and strengthen supply chains. The debate is not on whether Europe can afford enlargement, but whether it can afford to delay it.

You can read the article on The Parliament here.