The “Big Bang” Enlargement of 2004 was a historical moment in the process of European integration which fundamentally changed the way the European Union is functioning nowadays. It provided an opportunity for further economic growth, strengthened stability and democracy on the European continent, and enhanced the geopolitical potential of the Union. Despite its significance for European integration, the 2004 EU enlargement is also often perceived as the root cause of many challenges that the Union is currently facing, such as the decline of the rule of law or the rise of Euroscepticism. It is also closely linked to the insurgence of the so-called “Eurofatigue” after the unsuccessful adoption of the European constitution. This project aims to commemorate and provide a stock-taking of the 2004 enlargement through various activities which engage the public, expert and academic community as well as decision-makers. The goals of the project are to: 1) commemorate and reflect on the impact of the 2004 enlargement; 2) provide an expert analysis of its effects on the state of the Union and its functioning; 3) examine the relationship between the new members’ EU accession and democratic consolidation; and 4) provide recommendations for the EU enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans.
This is an EU CERV project. The timeframe of the project is from 2023 to 2025. In 2023 the consortium won the tender and was formally awarded the project by the EU. The PCC has been contributing research; been part of the broader initiatives of the project in eight EU states; and been organising conferences, exhibitions, and public events in 2024. More such activities are planned for 2025.
The members of the consortium are:
- EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy (leading organization; Czech Republic)
- Centre for European Perspective (CEP; Slovenia)
- Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations (Belgium)
- ELIAMEP Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (Greece)
- Instituto Affari Internazionali (IAI; Italy)
- Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA; Latvia)
- PRIO Cyprus Centre (Cyprus)
- Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS, Sweden)
The project is funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme under the European Remembrance call and will be implemented over 2 years from 2024 to 2025.
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