New GEO-POWER-EU Deliverable: Discerning the perceptual gap between the EU policies and the countries’ expectations and needs
The GEO-POWER-EU project has released a new timely report on the elite perceptions of the EU’s enlargement policy in the Western Balkans (WB6) and Eastern Partnership (EaP) candidate countries, as well as from within the EU itself.
Based on 109 elite interviews with decision-makers and diplomats, and stakeholders such as experts, public intellectuals, representatives of professional associations, NGO representatives, and journalists, the report maps divergent views on conditionality, credibility, and predictability of accession, as well as the challenges of maintaining reform momentum and EU readiness for further integration.
The analysis finds that EU enlargement is constrained by a strategic trilemma: upholding merit-based accession, responding to geopolitical imperatives, and advancing deeper EU integration. To move forward, the Union must balance its long-term integration goals with immediate geopolitical demands while remaining anchored in its core values.
📥 Download the full report (PDF).
*Featured Image: Forum for International Cultural Relations, edeos