{"id":535,"date":"2026-02-25T09:26:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/?p=535"},"modified":"2026-06-26T09:11:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T09:11:47","slug":"how-can-europe-renew-a-stalled-enlargement-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/?p=535","title":{"rendered":"How Can Europe Renew a Stalled Enlargement Process?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">February 24, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of Carnegie Europe\u2019s Europe Head-to-Head project, Sylvie Goulard and Gerald Knaus exchanged views during a debate moderated by Rosa Balfour, Director of Carnegie Europe<em> <\/em>on the following question : <em>\u201cCould a smaller EU be stronger than an enlarged bloc?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"241\" src=\"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stalled-enlargement-process-1024x241.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stalled-enlargement-process-1024x241.png 1024w, https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stalled-enlargement-process-300x71.png 300w, https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stalled-enlargement-process-768x181.png 768w, https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/stalled-enlargement-process.png 1118w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This exchange highlights the paradox of European enlargement: while the integration of Ukraine, Moldova or the Balkans would strengthen the continent\u2019s security and stability, the process remains largely stalled by internal divisions within the EU. The challenges of enlargement are more a result of internal political deadlocks within the EU than of the progress made by the candidate countries, which raises questions about whether the accession process is truly being fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This situation risks feeding disillusionment in the candidate countries and reducing the European Union\u2019s influence, particularly in Ukraine, where progress toward accession remains limited despite the country\u2019s strategic position. Faced with this deadlock, the speakers advocate for a more pragmatic approach, based either on a multi-speed Europe or on gradual integration prior to full membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The debate therefore highlights that the issue of enlargement is, above all, a political one: without a common vision or European leadership, the EU is struggling to adapt its expansion policy to current geopolitical challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can find the article, which includes excerpts from the debate in the form of a Q\/A session between Sylvie Goulard and Gerald Knaus, <a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/europe\/posts\/2026\/02\/how-can-europe-renew-a-stalled-enlargement-process\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/europe\/posts\/2026\/02\/how-can-europe-renew-a-stalled-enlargement-process\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can also find the discussion on Youtube here : <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<p class=\"responsive-video-wrap clr\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Could a Smaller EU Be Stronger than an Enlarged Bloc?\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jEi7HH7_e8I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 24, 2026. As part of Carnegie Europe\u2019s Europe Head-to-Head project, Sylvie Goulard and Gerald Knaus exchanged views during a debate moderated by Rosa Balfour, Director of Carnegie Europe on the following question : \u201cCould a smaller EU be stronger than an enlarged bloc?\u201d This exchange highlights the paradox of European enlargement: while the integration 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24, 2026. As part of Carnegie Europe\u2019s Europe Head-to-Head project, Sylvie Goulard and Gerald Knaus exchanged views during a debate moderated by Rosa Balfour, Director of Carnegie Europe on the following question : \u201cCould a smaller EU be stronger than an enlarged bloc?\u201d This exchange highlights the paradox of European enlargement: while the integration&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenextmile.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}