ELIAMEP

Alessandro Ieranò, Project Research Assistant at the South-East Europe Programme (ELIAMEP), explores the interplay between EU enlargement disputes and minority rights in his new article for Contemporary Southeast Europe.

Drawing from the Beleri case and Hungary’s ongoing veto on Ukraine, he observes how, in the context of bilateral disputes between a member (kin) state and a candidate (home) state, enlargement paralysis is a ‘lose-lose’ outcome for all parties involved. Above all, for national minorities, which risk to find themselves caught in the crossfire of politicisation and securitisation.

As he argues, this stems from the of lack of safeguards and alternative-dispute resolution mechanisms in the current enlargement framework, which has turned veto powers from an atomic option into a default practice. This not only enables the politicisation of kin-minorities in candidate countries—adding further straining bilateral relations—but also jeopardises enlargement at the moment when it is most needed. To address this challenge, he proposes a set of policy recommendations aiming at restoring the credibility of the enlargement promise through mutual guarantees to both ‘gatekeeping’ kin-member states and ‘obstructed’ candidate-home states, while preventing the securitisation of national minorities.

You may read the essay here.

Now in its sixth year, ELIAMEP’s annual forecasts return with the Special Edition ““ELIAMEP Outlook – Predictions for 2026” offering expert insights into the year ahead. Twenty-four analysts and collaborators of ELIAMEP examine the key challenges, emerging trends, risks, and opportunities expected to shape Greece, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the wider world in the coming year. This year’s edition is further enriched by five contributions from voices of the “next generation,” bringing fresh perspectives and new ideas into the conversation. A selection of essays was featured in a special supplement of TA NEA on January 3. Read the paper here.