About this episode
The episode discusses the current state of EU enlargement, focusing on the progress of Ukraine and Moldova compared to Serbia and Georgia, and the internal challenges faced by the EU.
This week, The Neighbourhood shifts from the “why” of enlargement to the “how”—specifically, how reforms are unfolding on the ground and what drives progress or stagnation. The 2025 Enlargement Package presents a mixed picture: Ukraine and Moldova are racing ahead, while Serbia and Georgia are lagging. The EU itself is struggling with internal divisions and reform fatigue. Jessica is joined by Tiago Antunes , senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Power programme, Leo Litra , visiting fellow at ECFR and senior fellow at Kyiv’s New Europe Center and Engjellushe Morina , senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Security programme. Together, they discuss what this year’s enlargement report says about political will, institutional resilience and the everyday impact of enlargement. How can the EU make conditionality more credible? Are EU reforms changing behaviour in governments, institutions and people’s lives? And how can Brussels keep the reform energy alive? This episode was recorded on November 12th 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Guests: Tiago Antunes, Leo Litra, Engjellushe Morina
Topics covered
- EU enlargement
- political reform
- Ukraine
- Moldova
- Serbia
- Georgia
Keywords
- conditionality
- institutional resilience
- reform energy
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Georgia, Kyiv, Brussels
More episodes of ECFR ON AIR
- Eastern Europe’s breaking point: When crises collide and the EU hesitates · April 2, 2026 · 43 min
- Yemen: Between Gulf tensions and Iran war clouds · February 26, 2026 · 37 min
- Trump's Iran choice: Regional takes · February 10, 2026 · 47 min
- Trust, anger and the limits of EU democracy promotion · December 19, 2025 · 36 min
- One year after Assad: Syria’s struggle for security, recovery and reform · December 4, 2025 · 16 min
- The diplomatic minefield: What now for Ukraine? · November 27, 2025 · 43 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the ECFR ON AIR podcast page.