EU Enlargement – Merits or Geopolitics?

EU Enlargement – Merits or Geopolitics? For many years enlargement of the EU has been a low priority and the EU was symptomized with enlargement fatigue. A dramatic shift occurred with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Only four days later Ukraine applied for EU membership and Moldova followed shortly after. This reignited the conversation of enlargement and it rose back to the top of the agenda. In December 2023 the EU decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. EU accession relies on the fulfillment of certain merits to ensure that countries fulfill the socalled Copenhagen Criteria prior to accession, but at the same time Ursula von der Leyen has called Ukraine's accession to the EU for the “strongest security guarantee.” This raises the question: Can accession to the EU still rely on merits and simultaneously be used as a security political tool? Arranged in collaboration with Center for European Politics. Co-financed with a grant from Europa-Nævnet. The content is the sole responsibility of the recipient of the grant.