Partnership for Enlargement: A new way to integrate Ukraine and the EU’s eastern neighbourhood

Summary:

• Russia’s war on Ukraine puts the entire future European order at risk. It is already forcing a profound reconsideration of the EU’s and its neighbours’ interests.
• To address this, the European Union needs to devise a new approach to its neighbourhood, similar to the way in which it has rapidly enhanced its security and economic policies to respond to the threat.
• The EU should establish a Partnership for Enlargement that offers Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Western Balkans states concrete steps towards deeper integration – and a pathway to eventual membership.
• This new partnership should include three ‘pillars’: single market integration and the reconstruction of Ukraine; a reinforced commitment to energy security and climate transition; and stronger political cooperation in security matters.
• As countries with key interests in the Ukraine war, Germany and Poland should work particularly closely to drive this new project forward.

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