Fit for 35? Reforming the EU for an Enlarged Union

Organised by

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

After a long period of absence, enlargement is back on the EU’s agenda. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, it took only days for Ukraine to file its application to become member of the EU. All of a sudden, the EU is not only facing a brutal war in its immediate neighbourhood but also the prospect of being substantially transformed as we may be looking at a union of no less than 35 members in the years to come. Some would argue that this will take a very long time and there is therefore little need to dive into discussions about how the EU should operate, once it has grown. Others refer to the notion of ‘absorption capacity’ and emphasise that unless the EU changes its own policies, budget, decision-making rules and institutional set-up there is a risk that it will simply stop working following enlargement. 

The aim of this roundtable is to discuss the scholarly contributions to the SIEPS volume 'Fit for 35? Reforming the Politics and Institutions of the EU for an Enlarged Union', on how the EU should – or should not – change for further enlargement. The authors – Frank Schimmelfennig, Yves Mény, Sonja Puntscher Riekmann, Tanja Börzel and Sergio Fabbrini – will present their chapters and receive comments from the discussants Erik Jones and Anja Thomas. Each of the two sessions will also include a Q&A session with the audience to discuss the overarching themes. Printed copies of the publication will be available.

Attachments:

• Programme