EU Enlargement: Future Prospects and Current Challenges

Brussels is pushing to begin formal membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova at the end of June as Hungary continues its oppostition; the newly passed "foreign agent law" in Georgia seems to be stalling the country's EU course. Enlargement has been at the top of the EU agenda since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, but these developments seem to be complicating each member candidate's prospects for a smooth accession. We checked in with Nicholas Lokker, from the Center for a New American Security, to make sense of EU enlargement and the intervening variables in the process, such as Russia's continued aggression, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and European strategic autonomy.

The Europe Desk is a podcast from the BMW Center for German and European Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. It brings together leading experts working on the most pertinent issues facing Europe and transatlantic relations today.

Music: Sam Kyzviat and Breakmaster Cylinder

Design: Sarah Diebboll

Leadership: Hailey Ordal, Josephine Sylvestre

Production: Louis Onoratini, Andreea Procopan, and Alexandra Long

Communications: Sophie al Mutawaly