VDL has promised to widen the ‘simplification’ agenda to other policy areas. With various forms of ‘gradual integration’, her Commission has gone the opposite way, adding administrative burden to an already long and cumbersome process. Here’s a proposal to radically simplify EU enlargement 👇

#REUNIRBlog 🇲🇩 In a new op-ed, Iulian Groza (IPRE - Institutul pentru Politici și Reforme Europene) highlights how civil society, independent media, and state institutions are working together to safeguard democratic integrity. 👉 Read more: reunir-horizon.eu/op-ed-moldov... @horizoneu.bsky.social

Can international organisations be both effective and robust — or must one always come at the expense of the other? Read about the trade-offs IOs must navigate to deliver results while remaining resilient to existential challenges: www.ensuredeurope.eu/publications

Noting that Von der Leyen’s drive to simplify EU regulations and governance is an open-ended commitment, Michael Emerson and I advocate that the Commission takes up the enlargement process as a next case of application. Via @ceps.eu www.ceps.eu/ceps-publica...

📢 We are launching a new Task Force on a European Pillar within NATO with @rusi.bsky.social, Clingendael and the Institute for European Policymaking of Bocconi University. It will bring together experts to define practical steps for strengthening Europe’s defence readiness. 👉 bit.ly/4mGWJnr

Caught between an aggressive Russia and a disengaging US, Europe is ramping up its defence spending. But is it enough to deter Russia? Does the EU need new competences to turbocharge defence procurement & build a stronger defence industry? 📅 Join us on Wednesday to discuss it! bit.ly/4g3GyOC

"Enlargement must be a reward for sustained reform, not an instrument of short-term political engineering." Pushing Moldova’s EU bid before September’s election is understandable, but decoupling it from Ukraine would be a mistake, argues Steven Blockmans. @stevenblockmans.bsky.social

Russia’s war against Ukraine has transformed the security situation in Europe. One consequence is that EU enlargement is once again a top priority. In a new SIEPS publication, leading experts discuss what it takes to achieve peace, security and stability in Europe by enlarging the EU.

Psychologically, will this forced appeasement finally push Europe to take itself seriously as a geopolitical power, or will it instead entrench European division and dependence? The signs are not very promising. on.ft.com/4l7amea

Madalina Dobrescu, Associate Professor of European Studies at NTNU explores: ❓ What are the key challenges & opportunities for the EU in strengthening its engagement with Moldova & broader EN in current geopolitical climate? Watch here: reunir-horizon.eu/reunir-mid-t... @horizoneu.bsky.social

In this video, Prof. Dr. Laure Delcour, Associate Professor at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, discusses: How can the the EU better align its normative agenda with geopolitical imperatives in Eastern Europe? Watch here: reunir-horizon.eu/reunir-mid-t... @horizoneu.bsky.social #REUNIR

More powerful than the previous open letter, these fmr EUDs are not mincing their words: Silence and neutrality in the face of genocide constitute complicity. Inaction emboldens perpetrators and betrays every principle the Union and its member states claim to uphold. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

We’re continuing our video series from #REUNIR Mid-Term Conference in Tbilisi In this video, Jelena Pejic Nikic, @bezbednost.bsky.social discusses: What role does public perception play in the pace of democratic reforms in the WB? Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML0Z... @horizoneu.bsky.social

📌 Expert insights from 2nd Mid-Term Conference in Tbilisi. In our 1st video, @fbieber.bsky.social answers the question: ❓ What lessons from the Western Balkans can be applied to the EU’s approach toward its Eastern neighbours? @horizoneu.bsky.social Watch here: reunir-horizon.eu/reunir-mid-t...

In this video, Prof. Dr. Hylke Dijkstra, Prof. of International Security &Cooperation, Maastricht University,answers the question: What’s the biggest challenge for aligning EU strategies with the realities of candidate countries? Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0_2... @horizoneu.bsky.social

“The [HRs] must be careful, because one day they could be tried by the [ICC] for complicity in genocide. I can assure you that we will not stop; we have embarked on a long journey", said Alfonso Dorado, French criminal lawyer, advisor to the ICC. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

My thoughts in the FT on the agreements with France last week and this week’s Treaty with Germany. The Brexit shadow has lifted from UK bilateral relations in Europe. 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪are now clearly in the lead in weaning Europe off over-dependence on the US. It will be a long haul. www.ft.com/content/fb29...

Irrespective of “Kallas’s” (temporary?) aid deal: (i) suspend trade-related parts of the EU-Israel association agreement; (ii) ban all products & services coming from, and all business transactions with, illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank; (iii) suspend Horizon research funding.

#REUNIR 📣 Save the date & join us for the End-of-Presidency discussion: Is European Integration Still on the Table for the Eastern Partnership? 🗓️ Date: July 9 🕥 Time: 10:30–12:30 CEST 📍 Venue: College of Europe, Natolin campus 🌐 Zoom link: coleurope-eu.zoom.us/j/81154632586 @horizoneu.bsky.social

Professional spies aside, some Russian citizens may be pressured or incentivised to use their smartphones to map critical [EU] infrastructure, observe troop movements, or conduct other pre-operational surveillance. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

🔴 LIVE NOW / Our @reunir.bsky.social's event is kicking off!   We are looking forward to constructive insights from @ric-alcaro.bsky.social on the overlapping constraints defining EU policy.   Learn more 👉 www.ceps.eu/ceps-events/...

For MS to use the 5% pledge & build a “common defence” (Art 24.1 TEU) as a European pillar within NATO, the key capabilities listed in the White Paper need to be framed in a roadmap which adds the rest of DOTMLPF-P to strengthen the EU’s military arm. I took some time to unpack these elements 👇

📣 Aan de vooravond van de NAVO-top in Den Haag presenteert Charge een routekaart naar Europese defensie in 2035. Het @ceps.eu onder leiding van @stevenblockmans.bsky.social onderzocht de mogelijkheden en kansen voor Europese defensie. Rapport is nu beschikbaar: tinyurl.com/7h7k9xjp

Europe’s push to agree security guarantees for Ukraine while boosting its own defences without the US presents a rare opportunity for Erdogan’s Turkey. Thanks @csis.org for hosting a debate w @ilketoygur.bsky.social, @maxbergmann.bsky.social & myself via CATS @swp-berlin.org and @ceps.eu

Read my latest policy brief on what role #G7 could play for #Ukraine’sReconstruction. The policy brief was developed as the G7 engagement group contribution #Think7 under #Canada’s G7 presidency this year.

🎥 New #REUNIR Insights video: Shota Kakabadze on Georgia’s resilience, foreign threats & EU path. One-party rule, polarization & weak institutions pose major challenges. Watch now & stay tuned for more videos from our mid-term conference in Belgrade. @horizoneu.bsky.social @gip2025.bsky.social

🎥 New #REUNIR video: Sarah Bressan (GPPi) on using foresight to detect foreign threats to EU accession. Looking to 2035, she explains why strategic thinking & scenario building are key to resilience. Watch now! @horizoneu.bsky.social @gppi.bsky.social @bressansar.bsky.social

New paper w/ @chrishillion.bsky.social & @tommasopavone.bsky.social What does it take not just to defend democracy—but to rebuild it? Developing the concepts of democratic frontsliding and restorative disobedience we analyze how liberal democracy can be restored: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

📥 Our monthly bulletin is out! ♻️🛠⚖️️️ This edition features @stevenblockmans.bsky.social spotlighting the precarious future of NATO’s regional defence. It displays our latest pubs & events in all areas, across energy, health, finance, and more! Read it here & subscribe 👉 bit.ly/45ASl3t

EU pushes China to address ‘alarming’ rare earth export controls Sefcovic: “I informed my Chinese counterpart about the alarming situation in the European car industry" Wants Beijing to lift controls on exports of RE magnets for civilian use and simplify licensing www.scmp.com/news/china/d...

Despite the multiannual, immense resistance of citizens across the country, the expert community, civil society, locals and the majority of the opposition, the European Commission today decided to include the controversal Jadar lithium mining project to its strategic projects. 🧵

🇪🇺 At our Mid-term Conference in Belgrade, H.E. Emanuele Giaufret, the EU Amb.& Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia shared important messages as #keynote ✍“We know that we need to move fast, & we need to move to strengthen our common European interest” @horizoneu.bsky.social @bezbednost.bsky.social

🇪🇺 Dr. Milica Delevic, a Director of Governance and Political Affairs at EBRD offered powerful closing remarks at the Mid-term Conference in #Belgrade, highlighting the shifting logics behind EU enlargement. @horizoneu.bsky.social @bezbednost.bsky.social @geopower-eu.bsky.social @tepsa.bsky.social

🗣️ As part of opening remarks on our mid-term conference in Belgrade, Srđan Cvijić, President of the International Advisory Committee at the @bezbednost.bsky.social reiterated the urgent need for stronger support to those defending democratic values on the ground @horizoneu.bsky.social

📢 Join us on May 26 in Belgrade🇷🇸 for a high-level public conference co-hosted with our sister project @geopower-eu.bsky.social: “Frontlines of Influence: The EU’s🇪🇺 Role in the Western Balkans & Eastern Partnership” ⏰ 15:30-18:45📍 Europe House Registration🔗 bit.ly/42Z3GZF @horizoneu.bsky.social

A new European security architecture is emerging: critical mass is forming around Weimar-UK-NB8. UA is integral to it because of the realisation that theirs is also our fight. But coalitions of the willing are no substitute for full membership of permanent institutions. #LennartMeriConference

Sikorski adding his edge in a conversation about whether or not Zelensky will join in The Hague: “I have to confess, I’d also like to see Putin in The Hague”. #LennartMeriConference

Sikorski explaining to the new US Amb to NATO what the value added of the EU is in joint and cheaper borrowing & mounting a rapid deployment capacity on Europe’s southern border. Nudge nudge, wink wink

Pushed by increasingly bold Russian sabotage and propelled by the NB8 & JEF, the Council Baltic Sea States has decided to transform #CBSS into a strategic forum for regional security dialogue, setting priorities & providing direction for regional initiatives #LennartMeriConference

The UK and EU should seize the opportunity to rake up some of the embers of the Brexit bonfire and lock in tighter institutional cooperation before resurging isolationist populism has an opportunity to reassert itself in UK politics.

🔜 The wait is almost over—this Friday, We Shall Go Forward Together at the #LennartMeriConference As old alliances are being tested and new ones emerge, many questions arise. 👀 Check out the full agenda: lmc.icds.ee

Brussels smells of gunpowder these days. How significant are the EU’s plans on rearmament & defence readiness? How do they relate to the coalition of the willing for Ukraine? Do they herald a reverse-Brexit in defence? Looking fwd to the debate at OSSG on Tuesday @ceps.eu @icds.bsky.social

🪖🇪🇺 “Een Europees leger is niet langer ondenkbaar” – @stevenblockmans.bsky.social van @ceps.eu in gesprek met @berrievandermolen.bsky.social over het gezamenlijke onderzoek naar een toekomstpad richting verdergaande integratie van de Europese krijgsmachten. ➡️ www.charge-volt.org/interview-st...

Did I miss something? In this interview VDL says that there are “twelve countries on the waiting list to become members of the European Union”. Which are the +2? Can anyone share their membership application letters? www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

It was a pleasure teaming up with Profs. Roman Petrov and Adam Lazowski for this special lecture at @collegeofeurope.bsky.social in Natolin

Un informe del Centro de Estudios de Política Europea (@CEPS.eu) alerta de las incoherencias económicas que debilitan sus planes de rearme www.elperiodico.com/es/economia/...

Europe’s defence awakening is real – but still fragile. This paper by @judith-arnal.bsky.social & @stevenblockmans.bsky.social offers 5 key recommendations that policymakers should actively consider to move beyond fragmented sovereignty and treat defence as a European public good. 👉 bit.ly/42wWdiO

This is an excellent read