Enlargement: Where will Europe end? | #IrishPPC

From 1 July to 31 December 2026, Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). To discuss the aims and priorities of the incoming Presidency, as well as the EU’s most challenging policy areas, the Irish Pre-Presidency Conference (PPC), Gateway to the Irish Presidency: Leadership in a Changing Europe, took place on 11 and 12 June 2026 in Dublin. This discussion considered how EU accession can be achieved alongside the maintenance of cohesion within the EU, focusing on cases from among the Western Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine. The panel also explored the tension between a merit-based approach to EU expansion and the geopolitical imperative of securing and strengthening Europe’s borders and relations with its neighbourhood. The discussion featured remarks from Sabina Lange (University of Ljubljana & Think Europe), John O’Brennan (Maynooth University), Olena Tregub (Transparency International (NAKO), Wouter Zweers (Clingendael) and Barry Colfer (IIEA, moderator). The Irish PPC was co-organised by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) and the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA). The event was co-funded by the European Union via TEPSA’s ExpressEU project and part of Future Proofing Europe, an IIEA project supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland. TEPSA Website: https://www.tepsa.eu/ TEPSA LinkedIn:   / tepsabrussels   TEPSA Instagram:   / tepsaeu   TEPSA Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tepsa.bsky.s... TEPSA Instagram:   / tepsaeu   TEPSA Twitter:   / tepsaeu   TEPSA Facebook:   / tepsa.eu   Editing: Barbara Vanotti Music: "Alive", Wondershare Filmora X This video is co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.