The European Commission said on Friday (7 June) that both Ukraine and Moldova are sufficiently ready for the formal opening of EU accession talks.
Enlargement to the East, and to the Western Balkans, is a geostrategic imperative and will require reforms on both sides, writes Paulo Rangel.
A dozen EU member states have made a joint push to move forward the accession process for candidates Ukraine and Moldova and formally kickstart membership talks by the end of June, according to a letter to the Belgian EU presidency, seen by Euractiv.
In the next European Commission mandate, the enlargement and neighbourhood file is expected to be one of the most prized possessions when it comes to the distribution of EU top jobs between member states.
EU member states said on Wednesday (29 May) they are hopeful to agree on the negotiation frameworks for Ukraine and Moldova in the first week of June, though some objections from Hungary remain.
As protests grow in Tbilisi, EU member states on Tuesday (14 May) failed to agree on a common statement that would condemn the passing of the Georgian government's 'foreign agent' law, which Brussels warned defies 'European values' and hampers the country's path towards accession.
The EU should assess how Georgia's foreign agent law will impact the country's accession process before the parliament's final vote, twelve EU foreign ministers said in a letter addressed to the bloc's chief diplomat Josep Borrell and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi.
While Russia meticulously orchestrates its interference in Georgia, Brussels seems oblivious to the increasing urgency of the situation, writes Tinatin Akhvlediani. Tinatin Akhvlediani is a research fellow in the EU Foreign Policy Unit at CEPS. In 2023, Georgia found itself in the …
The European Union needs to create clearer benchmarks for the rule of law and judicial reform in Ukraine, which could then be replicated for other reform areas, write Snizhana Diachenko, Liubov Akulenko, and Viktoriia Melnyk.
Contrary to the current European Union reform debate, it is possible to have the enlargement process and deeper EU integration run parallel, former European Commission president José Manuel Barroso told Euractiv. "A very important lesson learned from then is that it's …
Showing courageous responsibility means today that we must make our European Union fit to take in new countries already in this decade, writes German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
European affairs ministers and their counterparts from EU candidate countries started talks on Tuesday (30 April) on how to strengthen the rule of law both within the bloc and in countries seeking to join it.
As the European Commission prepares proposals for a further round of enlargement, the two decades since the 2004 'big bang' enlargement show the ups and downs that could lie ahead. On Wednesday (1 May), the EU commemorates 20 years since the last …
With some EU member states and sectors likely to be exposed more than others by the European Union's future enlargement rounds, a new fund is needed to compensate for imbalances, according to a draft report by former Italian prime minister …
Scuffles broke out in Georgia's parliament on Monday (15 April) over the government's re-introduction of a controversial "foreign influence" bill that critics say mirrors repressive Russian legislation used to silence and intimidate dissidents.
The fate of democracy and Georgia's European future hangs in the balance yet again. The recent reintroduction of the foreign agent law by the ruling party Georgian Dream is an extremely worrisome crossroad in the nation's democratic path, writes Paata Gaprindashvili.
Bosnia's international peace overseer on Tuesday (26 March) imposed changes to the country's election law to ensure its integrity, including barring convicted war criminals from running, ahead of a vote in October.
EU leaders gave the political green light on Thursday (21 March) for opening membership talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina but also made clear the Western Balkan country would have to undertake more reforms before the actual talks could start.
EU leaders are set to give the political green light to open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday (21 March), but the outcome still hangs in the balance as several member states aim to tie the decision to progress on Ukraine and Moldova.
As EU leaders face a tough call this week whether to move with the next steps for Ukraine and Moldova or risk a delay until after the EU elections, progress on Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to complicate matters further.
Ukraine's future accession to the bloc will bring more benefits than costs, and EU member states should approve the next formal steps later this week, the country's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Euractiv. "We are waiting and wishing to have approval …
The European Commission is expected to recommend that Bosnia-Herzegovina start accession talks on Tuesday (12 March), according to people familiar with the matter.
Georgia plans to catch up with Ukraine and Moldova, which are farther along their EU accession path, and the key will be holding orderly elections in October, forming a pro-European government, and implementing EU recommendations, President Salome Zourabishvili told Euractiv in an interview.
Gradually integrating civil society from candidate countries into the EU will give them the ability to become as strong as they should be by the time of accession, write Oliver Röpke, Milojko Spajić and Edi Rama.
