Of all its external action, the enlargement policy of the European Union has traditionally been considered the most successful tool, fostering an ambitious normative transformation and economic modernisation of the countries in its neighbourhood. Currently, the framework of accession is also shaped by geopolitical parameters, an upshot of the questioning and fragmentation of the liberal order, primarily after Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine.
Since then, enlargement policy – which was undeniably flagging – has become a matter of priority on the European political agenda, understood as a "geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity". This creates tension between necessary normative coherence and current strategic interests.
In this context, Issue 146 of Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals seeks to explore the challenges and dilemmas raised by the future enlarged Europe, paying particular attention to the tensions that exist between the necessary normative coherence that any accession process requires and the geopolitical imperative defining the current candidacies.
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 3 September 2026.
