Geostrategic enlargement of the EU:
The Hungarian EU Presidency’s contribution
Monday 16 December 2024, 16 h.
CEU, Budapest, Nádor u. 15. Room 101.
Speakers:
Péter Balázs
Professor emeritus of CEU
Miklós Losoncz
Professor of Budapest Business University
Steven Blockmans
Senior Research Fellow at CEPS (Brussels) and ICDS (Tallinn)
Project Coordinator of REUNIR
Moderator
Dorjana Bojanovska Popovska
post-doctoral researcher of CEU Democracy Institute
As the Hungarian rotating presidency of the Council of the EU draws to a close, the time is right to assess the contribution it has made to one of its stated priorities: EU enlargement to the Western Balkans. Expectations were low, given the constraints posed by increased geopolitical saber-rattling and political resistance of a vast majority of member states that eyed this presidency with skepticism and concern in a period of institutional transition. Even so, the Hungarian government successfully pushed for progress in the accession negotiations of some Western Balkan states, while securing the start of the implementation of the ‘Growth Plan’ for the region. However, its role in the internal affairs of other candidate countries has been heavily criticized for the apparent disregard of electoral processes and the rule of law, as well as the alignment with narratives peddled by adversaries to the idea of EU enlargement. Which concrete successes and failures have marked the past six months and what longer-term impact, if any, will the 2024 Hungarian EU Presidency have on the European Union’s enlargement policy?
REUNIR, a Horizon-funded project with 12 partners from across Europe, examines how the EU can strengthen its foreign and security toolboxes to bolster the resilience and transformation of (potential) candidate countries in a new age of international relations. REUNIR’s foresight approach takes the fundamental uncertainty and openness of alternative futures seriously. https://reunir-horizon.eu/
REUNIR is funded under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, project ID No. 101132446.
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