Our selection of Premium stories digs deep into a lively week, as Europe limps towards rebooting the enlargement system, votes in Kosovo are counted and Albanians throw off a reputation for apathy.
Milos Damnjanovic
The new thinking around enlargement in the EU seems to be driven more by geopolitical considerations than by the union’s old reform and merit-based approach. However, despite a clear desire to “reboot” enlargement, much remains to be thought through.
Engjellushe Morina argues in her opinion piece for Balkan Insight that concerns are growing that rushing membership for Ukraine, or for Albania, could come at a cost – not least for the countries themselves; fast-tracked membership might mean less incentive for them to reform internally, she writes.
Read more: Europe’s Enlargement’s Bargain on Ukraine, Balkans, Risks Backfiring (June 5, 2026)
