The Western Balkans EU accession perspective after the war in Ukraine

The paper from Labinot Hoxha argues that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed the context in which the European Union’s enlargement policy must be considered and implemented. The decisions to grant candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, and a European perspective to Georgia, were politically motivated rather than a result of thorough technical assessment. Moreover, the EU’s enlargement in its immediate neighborhood is a geostrategic imperative that requires a greater sense of urgency than it has been given in the last decade.