Home › Archive › Articles and Publications › Policy Paper | 2025: New Frontrunners and Laggers in the EU Enlargement ProcessPolicy Paper | 2025: New Frontrunners and Laggers in the EU Enlargement Process
The 2025 Enlargement Package highlights a clear distinction that has emerged in recent years between countries advancing on their EU accession paths through the adoption and implementation of reforms and those falling behind for various reasons. For a long time, the EU has applied a regional approach to the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe (the “Associated Trio”). It has now become evident that a more nuanced approach is necessary, as disparities are growing both among countries and within the two enlargement regions, writes Jana Faktor Juzová.
20. December 2025
The publication was produced in 2025 as part of a project by the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy entitled “Europe as a Long-Term Task – Representation of a Czech Think Tank in Brussels.” The project was supported through the grant programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic “Priorities of Czech Foreign Policy and International Relations
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