EU accession negoti­a­tions with Ukraine are hitting struc­tural and political limits in times of war—both in Kyiv and in Brussels. Techno­cratic proce­dures and exclu­sively positive EU rhetoric undermine the necessary incen­tives for reform, analyzes Liubov Akulenko and proposes a Germany-led “coalition of the willing” to delib­er­ately advance blocked reforms through confi­dential dialogue.

As the European Union adjusts its policies in prepa­ration for a new round of enlargement, relations between Moldova and the European Union (EU) have entered a new stage of devel­opment. Natalia Stercul (Foreign Policy Associ­ation of the Republic von Moldova) analyses the situation.

Georgia is on the path to author­i­tarian consol­i­dation of power. The systematic restriction of civil society, political compe­tition, and freedom of assembly goes hand in hand with a foreign policy shift away from the EU. An analysis by Nino Chachava and Saba Bachveli (both: Civil Society Foundation, Georgia).

The parlia­mentary elections on September 28 will be historic in Moldova, even if the outcome is still uncertain. Various scenarios are possible: Will Moldova succeed in pushing ahead with EU accession as protection against a perceived threat from Russia? Much depends on how the population reacts to frustration and fears, as Denis Cenusa analyzes for us.

Ukraine’s membership bid taken on real momentum since the country applied for EU membership in the early days of the full-scale invasion. Though Ukraine’s track record is generally positive, the devil is in the details. Difficult reforms, especially in the judiciary, require the attention and support of the EU and its member states.

Das EU-Beitrittsland Moldau steht weiterhin vor großen sicher­heit­spoli­tischen und wirtschaftlichen Heraus­forderungen. Unsere Expertin, Natalia Stercul, APE, analysiert die Hindernisse auf den europäischen Weg Moldaus, sowie die politische Lage nach dem Refer­endum und den Präsi­dentschaftswahlen. Ferner warnt sie vor der zunehmend steigenden Einflussnahme Russlands bei den kommenden Parla­mentswahlen in 2025, denn das Ergebnis der Parla­mentswahlen würde die EU-Integration des Landes maßge­blich mitbestimmen.

Our new project “Expert Network Russia” kicked on October 31 with an inaugural meeting in Vilnius. Network members will gather in the Lithuanian Seimas to discuss how the West should deal with an increas­ingly total­i­tarian and neo-imperial Russia.