The EU’s security commitments to negotiate Ukraine’s accession
The distinguishing characteristic of the EU’s next eastward enlargement is that it is more security-driven than before. Negotiating accession with a country at war is different from the theoretical deterrence drive of previous integration rounds or from providing a prescription for post-conflict peacebuilding in the Western Balkans. Defence owns the hard meaning of the concept […]
Enlarging the European Defence Union to the Western Balkans
The European Council’s failure to agree on enlargement conclusions on 17 December 2020 will surely slow Western Balkan progress towards EU membership. One key policy domain is often ignored when speaking of enlargement, however. The Western Balkans’ security and defence architecture stands to lose from EU inertia. Elements of the Western Balkans’ efforts to converge […]