EU enlargement to the Balkans: will the leopard change its spots? EPC Commentary, 29 September 2014

As the leadership of the European Union hands over the baton to a new management this autumn, will the winds of change blow also through the cobwebs of the EU’s enlargement agenda? Jean-Claude Juncker – the incoming President of the European Commission – has already promised to put the gearbox of further EU widening in neutral for the next five years of his mandate, and has designated the Austrian Johannes Hahn as Commissioner for the re-baptised portfolio of now European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, instructing him to focus on the Union’s political and economic ties with Southern and Eastern Europe, and in particular with the Balkans. Such an approach in the field of enlargement – once crowned the jewel of EU foreign policy – has all the appeal of a damp rag but does not necessarily depart from the festina lente strategy of the recent past. Inside the Union, political appetite and public support for expansion have been fizzling since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007, and were then severely curbed in the context of the on-going crisis by growing fears of importing organised crime and migrants from the Balkans. Juncker’s logic of consolidation sounds depressingly similar to what it supposedly replaces and incidentally, it also fits neatly with the unambitious and inward-looking mantra favoured at present in discussions at all levels on the future of European integration, more generally. With the 28-member block determined to catch its breath in the immediate time period, and given that even the forerunner countries in the Balkans – that is, Montenegro and Serbia – will realistically need more than five years to complete their accession talks, what priorities should guide Commissioner Hahn, soon to be Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations – when they get down to business on 1 November

To be or not to be an EU member state – A question for the Balkan aspirants as well? EPC Commentary, 13 July 2016

Last month, a majority of British voters decided that the UK should leave the European Union (EU). In the wake of the Brexit result, anti-EU politicians in a host of member states began to float the idea of putting the same ‘in-out’ option to electorates in their own countries. As the economic and political fallout of the UK’s choice to withdraw from the EU continues to unfold, an acute sense of uncertainty gathers steam and ripples not just through the remaining member states but also their EU-hopeful neighbours in the Balkans. What will the departure of the UK from the EU mean for the Balkan enlargement process

The enemy within: are modern European democracies afraid of introspection? EPC Policy Brief, 17 October 2016

Escorted by sensationalist media, modern technologies and politicians who connect to voters at the gut level and amplify the noisiest popular sentiments, many European citizens are disengaging from conventional politics and joining those professing moral outrage against many alleged culprits behind national decline. While this trend is clearly linked to substantial contemporary political and economic problems and insecurities, the inflammatory rhetoric in which it is coached follows a slippery slope to democratic subversion. In this Policy Brief, Corina Stratulat argues that the road to dealing with challenges starts from democratic societies’ own willingness to demonstrate capacity for reflection and renewal, rigorously in line with the liberal principles and values that warrant its polities the democratic name

Enlargement to the Balkans: Playing hardball or playing with fire? EPC Commentary 27 June 2018

Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had their work cut out by yesterday’s General Affairs Council (CAG) to be able to formally open accession negotiations with the EU at the earliest in June, next year. This conditional offer reflects the rigour that presently defines the enlargement process, which seeks to prevent the Balkan countries from prematurely entering the EU. However, laying down such a hard line for Tirana and Skopje at this moment risks undermining the credibility of enlargement policy at a time when it is most needed, both in these countries and in the rest of the Balkan region

The Romanian protests: democratic progress or a ride on a rocking horse? EPC Commentary, 27 February 2017

Throughout February, the Romanian people received international accolades for vigorously flexing their civic muscle against the government’s attempt to roll back hard-won achievements in the fight against corruption. While other member states in the European Union (EU) are grappling with the threat of illiberal disorder, the decisiveness with which hundreds of thousands of Romanians took to the streets in defence of their country’s anti-graft effort seemed to light a beacon of hope for democratic resilience. But are the Romanian protests really the bearer of good tidings for democracy or mere expressive insurrections sparked by deeper political issues in the country? And what lessons does the recent public outcry in Romania hold for democracy elsewhere, in the EU and the Balkans

Implementing Lisbon: A Critical Appraisal of the Citizens' Initiative

In a much-heralded effort to bring people across Europe closer to the EU and enhance the Union's democratic legitimacy, the Lisbon Treaty has introduced the Citizens' Initiative (CI) -- an idea born in the final phase of the Constitutional Convention

The European Citizens’ Consultations deserve pride of place at von der Leyen’s Conference. Commentary 5 September 2019

Good news for European citizens! European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen wants “a new push for European democracy”, including a two-year ‘Conference on the Future of Europe’, in which citizens shall “play a leading and active part." Von der Leyen’s proposal endorses her predecessor’s 2017 resolve to “debate, not dictate." Such continuity of message is welcome. But President von der Leyen can go further – she should ensure there is also continuity in the European Union’s (EU) efforts to build up a European civic space. Specifically, she should take into account the European Citizens’ Consultations (ECCs), which were held throughout Europe as recently as 2018 and early 2019. Recalling the ECCs and building on their results would demonstrate that Brussels is committed to a meaningful process of EU democratic renewal – not just collecting a panoply of one-off initiatives

Balkan enlargement and the politics of civic pressure: The case of the public administration reform sector. EPC Policy Brief 5 October 2017

One of the lessons learnt from previous enlargement waves is the need to complement the politics of conditionality – that is, Brussel’s traditional ‘carrot and stick approach’ – with the politics of pressure – whereby the governments in the Balkan countries are ‘squeezed’ between civil society demands and an uncompromising European Commission

Post-European Parliament Elections Analysis

The 2014 European Parliament Elections might turn out to be not as "historic" as some people had predicted but many questions still need answering: Was the European Parliament on the brink of an invasion by Eurosceptics? Were these groups attempting to stop the Parliament from functioning? Had 'voter fatigue' come to an end? Or was this all hyperbole - is it all business as usual? Corina Stratulat and Janis A. Emmanouilidis analysed the impact and consequences of the 2014 European Parliament elections