News and updates from BCSDN and the region
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has outlined four areas in which the EU should adapt its enlargement process to today’s geopolitical realities. Kos called for internal EU reforms to make decision-making more efficient, including limiting opportunities for individual Member States to block decisions. She also stressed the need for stronger safeguards against democratic and
Read more →The EU is preparing to accelerate Montenegro’s accession negotiations, with plans to close all remaining negotiating chapters by the end of 2026 and prepare a first draft of the Accession Treaty by the end of September, Pobjeda reports. The move follows consultations among ambassadors of key EU Member States amid concerns over increased regional hybrid
Read more →The European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) delivers a civil society blueprint for shaping the Stakeholder Platform of the new European Centre for Democratic Resilience, a key part of the European Democracy Shield. Recognising civil society as an integral part of democratic infrastructure and resilience, the blueprint calls for the Platform to be an advisory body
Read more →With civil society increasingly reliant on EU support as other funding sources contract, a European Policy Centre analysis examines whether the next Multiannual Financial Framework can deliver on the ambitions of the Democracy Shield and the EU Civil Society Strategy. Despite these new political commitments, the proposed MFF provides only a marginal increase in democracy
Read more →The European Commission is preparing proposals to redesign rules for new EU member states, which are expected to be discussed at the European Council summit beginning on 15 October 2026. The planned changes respond to concerns among some current Member States about the potential impact of future enlargement on EU decision-making. France, Germany and the
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