EditorialEuropean enlargement cannot be a failure. It threatens to cripple Europe — stripping away strength, fostering vulnerability and depleting vital resources. This would mark the disappearance of one of the EU's foremost foreign policy tools for decades to come. Furthermore, it would also leave the EU without its known instrument to manage relations in the neighbourhood. The future of the enlargement project is susceptible to numerous apparent and hidden obstacles. Some of those obstacles can be well-intentioned in trying to develop rigid procedural requirements ensuring solid institutional performances. To appease enlargement sceptics, some mid-way solutions have been offered as a compromise, but they only lead to middling results and in the complicated realm of accession, more is needed. Then there are those without good intentions, trying to obstruct the entire proceedings. How the EU deals with these instances will have far-reaching consequences for the Union itself. Broken accession promises will leave the Southern and Eastern Flanks vulnerable to Russian and Chinese meddling and has the potential to upset the internal cohesion of the Union as well. However, enlargement has the potential to reinvigorate the entire project by deepening integration, facilitating much-needed treaty reforms and providing a positive discussion cleavage for public debate.The following report outlines the findings of a foresight project led by Visegrad Insight – Res Publica Foundation and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS together with a group of over 40 scholars and
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