Podcast Episode
Rosa Balfour, Noah Barkin, and Anu Bradford discuss whether Europe can compete with the United States and China.
Rosa Balfour, Noah Barkin, Anu Bradford
Podcast Episode
Europe Head-to-Head: Will Enlargement Make Europe Stronger?
Rosa Balfour, Sylvie Goulard, and Gerald Knaus debate the security benefits and political challenges of further EU enlargement.
Published on Feb 24, 2026
The EU and its member states are weighing the costs and benefits of offering Ukraine a fast-track accession process, while also considering how to manage relations with other candidate countries.
Rosa Balfour, Sylvie Goulard, and Gerald Knaus examine how further enlargement could shape the EU’s cohesion, decisionmaking capacity, and ability to act effectively on the global stage.
This podcast episode has been produced in the framework of Carnegie’s Europe Head-to-Head project.
Read more:
Rosa Balfour, March 25, 2025, “The Case for Europe,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.
Rosa Balfour, October 3, 2024, “EU Should Enlarge, Even Out of Despair,” Visegrad Insight.
Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni, October 28, 2025, “How the Western Balkans Can Contribute to European Defense,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.
Stefan Lehne, Zoran Nechev, Richard Grieveson, August 27, 2025, “Access Before Accession: Rethinking the EU’s Gradual Integration,” Carnegie Europe.
Rym Momtaz, February 10, 2026, “To Survive, the EU Must Split,” Strategic Europe, Carnegie Europe.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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