Through its Focus on EU Enlargement and Neighbourhood, Egmont wants to foster knowledge and strengthen networking by unpacking the changing dynamics of EU enlargement and neighbourhood policies. We examine the trajectory of the two processes to determine how candidate countries, neighbours, and the EU can best adjust to shifting geopolitical realities, particularly in light of Russia’s war on Ukraine. We implement targeted projects and convene meetings with diverse local and international stakeholders to provide policy recommendations and strategic guidance. We cooperate closely with the German Marshall Fund of the US (GMF), The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), European Policy Centre (EPC), the Ukrainian Prism, EUROPEUM, Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and EU institutions, among others.
Head: Katsiaryna Lozka
Belarus has shifted from a balancing state between East and West to a highly dependent ally of Russia under Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian rule. Following the 2020–21 protests and subsequent repression, […]
This report was jointly developed by the Egmont Institute – Royal Institute for International Relations and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Europe through a range of interviews with experts and civil society […]
Commentaries
Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine has changed the European Union’s attitude towards the prospects of enlargement. While in previous years, European leaders remained skeptical about the EU’s absorption capacity and […]
Commentaries
On 10 September 2025, in her much-anticipated State of the Union address, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered a stark message: Europe is locked in a struggle to safeguard […]
All the commentaries published at the turn of the year had at least one thing in common: at the dawn of 2025, the European Union has rarely been faced with […]
The year 2024 is to be marked as a historic year for the enlargement of the EU. Following the Russian war of aggression towards Ukraine, the question of the enlargement […]