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From transformation to demarcation: explaining the EU’s shifting motivations of the enlargement policy

Drawing on content analysis of European Council conclusions from 1990 to 2024 and comparative case studies, the article shows that EU enlargement policy has followed three overlapping logics: transformation, stabilisation and demarcation. Transformation dominated the 1990s and early 2000s, stabilisation dominated the 2010s in the Western Balkans, and after Russia’s 2022 invasion demarcation came to the fore, with enlargement used to anchor the neighbourhood geopolitically.

Marius Ghincea

Published in Journal of European Public Policy 32(12): 2999–3033

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How to cite

Ghincea, M. & Pleșca, L. (2025). “From transformation to demarcation: explaining the EU’s shifting motivations of the enlargement policy”. Journal of European Public Policy 32(12): 2999–3033. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2025.2498033

Marius Ghincea Avatar
Marius Ghincea

Program Director, Foreign & Security Policy

Marius is a political scientist, researcher, and international affairs expert. He is a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Quartet Institute, where he leads the Foreign and Security Policy Programme and contributes to the Institute's strategic development. His work focuses on Romanian foreign policy, European security, and the geopolitical implications of great-power competition.

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