In this episode, Philipp Lamprecht hosts a conversation with Frauke Seebass, member of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and Research Fellow at ELIAMEP, on the outcome of the European Council of 15–16 October 2026 for EU enlargement. Building on the recent ECIPE Insight “Why the October Summit Must Make Enlargement More Credible and Economically Meaningful” and the joint ECIPE–BiEPAG study “From Periphery to Power: The Geoeconomic Case for Southeast Europe”, the discussion looks at how enlargement slipped down the summit agenda. It also covers what the Council’s decision to “take note” of the Commission’s pre-enlargement policy reviews and of the Irish Presidency’s plan to close negotiations with Montenegro says about member states’ commitment, and why the file risks staying with the Commission when leadership from capitals is urgently needed.
The conversation also explores the geoeconomic stakes in Southeast Europe. As China, Russia, the Gulf states, Türkiye and the United States compete for influence in strategic areas such as defence, raw materials and digital connectivity, candidate countries have spent more than two decades in the EU’s waiting room. Frauke Seebass argues that the EU needs to make them a more credible offer, including earlier participation in political decision-making, closer integration into the Single Market and access to initiatives such as the Global Gateway, the FDI Screening Regulation and the Industrial Accelerator Act. Ultimately, the discussion raises a fundamental question: what would failure to bring Montenegro into the EU mean for the Union’s broader geopolitical ambitions?
You can watch a video recording of this conversation here.
You can read a transcript here.
