The key facts

  • Euronews assesses the prospect of EU enlargement as more realistic than in recent years
  • Each candidate country faces its own set of reforms and diplomatic obstacles
  • The discussion took place between MEPs from the EPP and The Left in an episode of The Ring

Debates on EU enlargement in Brussels

At the Euronews enlargement summit in Brussels the ambitions of candidate countries and the European Union's readiness to admit them were discussed. According to the outlet's own assessment, the bloc is closer to enlargement than at any point in the past decade, yet political obstacles capable of derailing the process remain. The outcomes of the discussion were presented in an episode of the programme The Ring by MEP from Estonia Riho Terras (European People's Party) and his Italian colleague Pasquale Tridico (The Left); the programme was hosted by Stefan Grobe.

Different trajectories of the candidates

The geography of the discussion covered the Western Balkans, the South Caucasus and Europe's eastern flank: from Ukraine and Georgia to Montenegro and Armenia. As noted in the article, each candidate country faces its own combination of politically sensitive issues, labour-intensive reforms and diplomatic obstacles, and while progress can be rapid, setbacks can be just as sharp. The publication does not provide specific dates for accession or interim decisions on individual countries.