Is There Really New Momentum Behind EU Enlargement?

During a recent visit to Brussels by a diverse group of civil society organisations from Kosovo and Serbia, a consistent and surprising message was heard from various interlocutors - that there is a renewed and buoyant sense of momentum behind the European Union enlargement process.

It was a sense of momentum reiterated by those dealing directly with the Western Balkans, not simply those inspired by the prospect of Ukraine one day taking up its rightful place in the Union; by those who have lived through the long doldrums of enlargement fatigue and were nostalgic for the big bangs of the past.

While there may well be 'buzz' in the Brussels bubble, however, it is not a feeling that resonates in the Western Balkans, particularly in Kosovo and Serbia, whose citizens are almost united in their belief that the EU door has been firmly closed.

Though visa liberalisation is on the horizon for Kosovo, it is considered too late by many. Patience may look like it has finally paid off, but at the expense of trust and belief in the process and conditionality. There has not been the same fanfare that greeted visa free travel for the citizens of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia over a decade ago.

The granting of candidacy to Bosnia-Herzegovina was similarly scoffed at as coming at least a decade too late, while Kosovo's own application for membership in December 2022 faces the obstacle of five EU non-recognisers - Spain, Romania, Slovakia, Greece, and Cyprus.

The paths may appear objectively tangible, but lived experience suggests otherwise. One need only ask someone from North Macedonia to appreciate such frustrations.

While such sentiments may eventually evaporate, they continue to heavily influence how the EU is currently...