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Panel 1- Twenty years of membership: How did the 2004 enlargement shape the EU and its new members?

Twenty years since the “Big Bang” EU enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in 2004 these countries are still labelled as “new” Member States and portrayed catching up with their Western European neighbours. Due to various reasons, their ability to influence the decision-making in the Union or boost their presence within the EU institutions has yet to reach the levels of “older” member states. At the same time, following to the recent geopolitical developments, the role of CEE countries has gained in importance, and they are currently among the most prominent advocates for future enlargement of the EU. Through newly established partnerships with other EU Member States and enhanced activity at the EU level, CEE countries also support a better cohesiveness of the bloc. The experience with EU membership and the lessons learned from CEE countries’ accession can provide useful insights for the current enlargement process.

How well did the newly acceded countries integrate into the EU? How well was the EU prepared for a “Big Bang” enlargement? What were the biggest challenges for the new members after joining the Union? And how can the role of CEE be strengthened in the future?

Panel 2- Forgotten enlargement to the Western Balkans: Can the process be revived in 2024?

Despite the initial scepticism of the Western Balkan countries to the fast progress of Ukraine and Moldova, this year the Union has delivered also on some aspects of the region’s long-stalled EU integration. Bosnia and Herzegovina received a positive decision on its accession negotiations by the European Council, the European Commission presented the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, and Montenegro stepped up to the closing stages of its accession. The key goal of the EU’s approach to the region has been to restore trust in their membership perspectives and to showcase that progress will be allowed when the candidates invest effort into the required reforms.

Are the recent successes and initiatives enough to re-establish the credibility of the enlargement process? Can the incentives offered by the Growth Plan and the increased priority of the enlargement agenda be sufficient to stimulate a reform momentum in the region? And is there a way to overcome the excessive use of veto by individual EU Member States in the accession process?

If you are interested in participating in this seminar, please mark 12 September in your agenda. A formal invitation including a detailed programme of the event and a link for the registration of participants will be later on.

(Photo credit: European commission)