Following the release of the 2025 Enlargement Package, the IEP convened a panel to discuss the growing emphasis on EU enlargement and the role of civil society in shaping the process. Enlargement has emerged as a priority on the EU’s agenda, driven by the need to bolster Europe’s security, democratic resilience and shared prosperity. Yet this political ambition is met by public scepticism as support for an enlarged Union averages at 56 % across Europe and 49 % in Germany, with caution often rooted in limited knowledge about the accession process. Closing this information gap is essential for building support, not least because eventual accession hinges on referendums in several member states.
Enlargement is an achievable goal rather than a distant objective, albeit with a small window that is currently open. Findings of the 2025 Enlargement Package showed that progress across candidate countries varies widely, with some frontrunners, notably Albania and Montenegro, receiving praise for their fast-paced reforms while others face democratic setbacks that need to be reversed. In the long run, a strict merit-based approach remains the fairest and most sustainable way forward.
Civil society emerges as the “missing link” in this process; not because it is absent, but because its role needs stronger support to bridge the gap effectively. In many regions, shrinking civic space and foreign agent laws threaten CSOs. Panellists stressed that successful accession depends on engaged citizens in both candidate countries within the EU. When citizens and civil society understand and engage in the process, it raises the legitimacy of enlargement.
The panel included Barbara Gessler (European Commission, Head of Representation), Dr Anton Hofreiter (Member of the German Bundestag, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs), Markus Knauf (Federal Foreign Office, Fundamental Issues of EU Foreign Relations), Andi Dobrushi (Open Society Foundations Western Balkans, Director) and Karyna Hasymova (DEJURE Foundation, Advocacy Manager) and was moderated by the IEP Director, Prof. Dr Funda Tekin.
The Europe Talk took place on 13 November 2025 as part of the RESILIO-ACCESS Civil Society Forum.
Team & authors
Share publication
