On December 12, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., the European Institute of Romania (EIR) held its annual conference, organised with the support of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The topic of this year was the EU’s enlargement as a means of deepening the European integration.
The event was attended by government representatives, political analysts and scholars, who emphasised the importance of this subject on the current EU agenda, and by a wider audience interested in European affairs. Among the aspects highlighted during the conference it is worth mentioning the following ideas:
- The EU’s enlargement policy is one of the most successful EU policies and, although from 2013 to February 2022 this process stagnated due to various reasons, the Russian military aggression against Ukraine has placed it again on the top of the EU’s agenda. The European leadership realised that without the EU’s enlargement we cannot ensure the peace and security of the European continent. The geostrategic evolutions of recent years – and especially the war in Ukraine – have led to an increased focus on the enlargement process, perceived as an instrument used by the EU to foster stability and consolidate a long-term democratisation in its neighbourhood.
- It is Romania’s responsibility to promote the EU’s enlargement in the Eastern Neighbourhood, as well as in the Western Balkans. The EU’s enlargement is not only a priority objective of Romania’s foreign policy, but also a tool of internal affairs, since it is our national interest to have a more secure, stable, and prosperous neighbourhood.
- One should also take into account the impact of the enlargement on the European Union’s policies. Therefore, an impact assessment, conducted by the European Commission, will be published during the first semester of 2024.
- Some speakers stressed the importance of enhancing the strategic communication, against the backdrop of the disinformation campaigns in the EU’s partner states. The first political battlefield is the human mind, and this should be nurtured with arguments and emotions that maintain the support for the European project, destined to bring peace and prosperity.
- The potential EU membership of Ukraine entails more difficulties than the potential memberships of the Republic of Moldova and of the Western Balkan states, due to the size of this country’s territory and to the specificity of its economy. In the event that Ukraine joins the Union, it is estimated that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which nowadays benefit from European funds, will become net contributors to the European Union’s budget.
- For the EU to function efficiently with over 30 member states, the voting rules in the Council need to be changed: unanimity voting should be replaced by qualified majority voting. The current structure of the EU treaties does not impede the functioning of the European Union with 35 or 36 member states.
- The EU’s enlargement can bring peace and security to Eastern Europe and to the South Caucasus, and the population of the states from these regions perceive the enlargement of the Union as a possibility to pressure the political elites to become more responsible, on the one hand, and on the other to reduce the influence of the Russian Federation.
- As far the Western Balkans are concerned, a certain „enlargement fatigue” has been noticed since 2013. Romania has a favourable image in the Western Balkans and there are high expectations regarding a more active involvement in this region.
- We can estimate that, in the short term, the enlargement can increase the discrepancies between the member states, but in the medium and long term these disparities can fade away. Romania is a good example in this sense, as today its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita has reached approximately 76-77% of the average GDP of the European Union (from 30.5% in 1995).
- Through its activities during its 23 years of existence, the European Institute of Romania has proven to be an institutional actor who significantly contributed to the promotion of the European values and to the enhancement of Romania’s profile as a member of the European Union.