Unready For Enlargement: And What The European Union Should Do About It

In this paper, Andrew Duff looks again at the dual challenge facing the European Union of enlarging its membership and reforming its government. Despite its rhetorical support for enlargement, the European Council is floundering. It falls to the Commission of President Ursula von der Leyen now to deliver on its promises to speed enlargement, enhance security and strengthen EU government. The Commission might also learn how to campaign for Europe at elections and referendums.

Duff makes proposals, including two treaty amendments, aimed at making the case before enlargement and avoiding deadlock afterwards. The reforms involve accelerating the accession process; rationalising the composition of the European Parliament; cutting the size of the Commission; drafting a new defence treaty and creating a European security council; and, above all, facilitating the deployment of the ‘passerelle’ clause and widening its scope. Without such democratic reform, he argues, an enlarged Union will fail.

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Andrew Duff is an Academic Fellow of the European Policy Centre. He is a former Member of the European Parliament (1999-2014), a Vice-President of the Liberal Democrats, Director of the Federal Trust, and President of the Union of European Federalists (UEF). He tweets @AndrewDuffEU and @andrewduffeu.bsky.social

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