The EU Enlargement and the Neighbourhood Policy in Geopolitical Turmoil

The EU’s engagement with its neighbours has long been a central element of its foreign policy, manifested through EU enlargement and the European Neighbourhood Policy. Amidst an increasingly unstable and hostile international environment—characterised by the destruction of Europe’s security architecture due to Russian aggression (including a full-scale war against Ukraine) and the US stepping back as a key security actor—EU relations with its neighbours are at a critical juncture, as is its global stance. The EU enlargement process was revitalised by granting candidacy status to Ukraine, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022, followed by Georgia next year. However, societal support for accepting new members is waning, and some EU member states demand institutional reforms within the EU before any future enlargement can proceed. Discussions concerning the EU’s institutional capacity have resurfaced, fuelling right-wing narratives on the future of the EU. The EU’s approach to other neighbours must also be rethought. The European Neighbourhood Policy, established in 2004, requires immediate reconstruction to better meet the needs of both the EU and its partner countries amid increasing military threats and prolonged conflicts, migration pressure, and the economic and social consequences of climate change that are particularly dire in the southern neighbourhood. This section will explore the challenges faced by the EU in its relations with neighbours. The panels will address various aspects, including institutional reforms (such as internal responses and adjustments in enlargement and the ENP; policy convergence in sectors such as defence and security, climate, and energy), actors (including EU member states, institutions, as well as candidate and partner countries and political actors), and challenges (such as responses to Russian military aggression against Ukraine and Israeli military engagement in Gaza and in the region, foreign interference, far-right political forces, and shifting social perceptions of the EU’s role with neighbours). In addition, we also welcome papers proposing new theoretical approaches to studying EU enlargement. Incorporating diverse perspectives, the panels will feature a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. We invite submissions of papers from scholars and practitioners across disciplines who are interested in the EU’s engagement with its neighbours. We especially welcome panels including young scholars and researchers from candidate and partner countries. All-male panels will not be considered.