The future of EU enlargement: Views from Helsinki, Stockholm and Vienna

It has been 30 years since Austria, Finland and Sweden organised their respective European Union (EU) referenda that led to the accession of the three countries in 1995. Now enlargement is back as a major issue on the EU’s agenda. However, different Member States continue to have diverging preferences, priorities and concerns regarding the enlargement process. How does the accession trio of 1995 position itself in today’s enlargement debates and how have their policies evolved in recent years? Are there any shared views that could serve as building blocks for broader EU consensus – or are we witnessing three separate national perspectives that underline the EU’s lack of unity?

The Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) and the Austrian Society for European Politics (ÖGfE)/Europa Club Wien, brought together experts from Austria, Finland and Sweden to discuss the three countries’ views on EU enlargement in a dedicated online discussion on 5 December 2024 at 9:30 CET / 10:30 EET. The event was hosted on Zoom and livestreamed on TEPSA’s YouTube channel.

Speakers included:
Dr. Calle Håkansson, Researcher at the Swedish Defence Research Agency’s Division for Defence Analysis & Associate Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute for International Affairs (UI);
Tyyne Karjalainen, Researcher in the European Union and Strategic Competition research programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA);
Paul Schmidt, Secretary General, Austrian Society for European Politics (OEGfE) & editor of the ‘Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals’ series;
Moderated by Dr. Sanna Salo, Post-Doctoral Fellow in the European Union and Strategic Competition research programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).

This online discussion reflected on the findings of TEPSA’s latest book ‘Enlargement and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals’, co-edited by Michael Kaeding, Johannes Pollak, and Paul Schmidt, and published by Springer. The book gathers over 60 leading experts in 41 European countries to examine how different national histories, policies, and corresponding public perceptions can influence engagement with the EU enlargement process. It is part of an annual series coordinated by TEPSA examining important European themes from national perspectives.

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Editing: Hugh Evans
Music: "Alive", Wondershare Filmora X

This video is co-funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.