Berlin – ESI at DGAP workshops on EU enlargement and domestic debates in member states

Adnan joined discussions. Photo: ESI

ESI senior analyst Adnan Ćerimagić took part in two workshop sessions hosted by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) on 14 November 2025 in Berlin, titled EU Enlargement: Outlook and Strategy for 2026 and The Domestic Discourse on Enlargement in EU Member States.

The workshops gathered European and Western Balkan officials, diplomats, and policy experts to discuss the future of EU enlargement and the domestic dynamics shaping this process within the Union.

The first session assessed the outlook for 2026 in light of the European Commission’s upcoming Enlargement Package, highlighting Montenegro’s goal to conclude accession negotiations by 2026 and Albania’s reform progress. Speakers included Thomas Hagleitner from the European Commission, Anja Wallau from the German Federal Foreign Office, and Biljana Papović, state secretary at the Montenegrin Ministry of European Affairs.

Adnan contributed to the second session, The Domestic Discourse on Enlargement in EU Member States, alongside Wouter Zweers of the Clingendael Institute and Nino Galleti from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. He presented ESI’s research on public opinion trends, media narratives, and political debates on enlargement across the EU, stressing the importance of restoring credibility to the process by linking concrete reforms in candidate countries with visible benefits for citizens. In his remarks, Adnan underlined that domestic debates within EU member states will determine the pace and sustainability of enlargement in the coming years. He called for a renewed European narrative that frames enlargement not as a burden, but as an investment in stability, democracy, and security.

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