Public Launch Event in Salzburg with a public roundtable “EU Enlargement: A Catalyst for Progress?” Internal Reform, Resilience and the Future of European Integration”

Thursday, 24 September 2026 | from 17:00 to 18:30 | Edmundsburg, Mönchsberg 2 | 5020 Salzburg

Representatives from diplomacy, European politics and European institutions will discuss the political and institutional challenges of a larger European Union, as well as the question of whether enlargement can generate new dynamics of European integration. The event will be held in English. Following the discussion, guests are invited to continue the conversation informally over drinks. 

How can the next enlargement of the European Union become not merely a process to be managed, but a catalyst for reform and renewed integration dynamics? This question lies at the heart of the new Jean Monnet Policy Network AdvancEU, coordinated by the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies (SCEUS). 

In September 2026, the new Jean Monnet Policy Network “AdvancEU – Advancing beyond Contestation: Addressing the Challenges of Resilient Enlargement” will begin its work. Funded with approximately €965,000 under the Erasmus+ programme, the European network is coordinated by the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies (SCEUS) at the University of Salzburg and brings together 15 universities from 13 European countries, including partner universities from the CIVIS European University Alliance. The project will run until August 2029. 

Thinking Enlargement and Reform Together 

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has brought enlargement back to the centre of the European political agenda with renewed urgency. At the same time, the European Union itself is facing considerable pressure for change. Geopolitical uncertainty, economic and technological transformation, questions of European security, political polarisation, and challenges to the rule of law and democracy all require far-reaching adaptation. 

AdvancEU starts precisely from this tension. Its point of departure is the question of how a Union seeking to enlarge can simultaneously strengthen its own capacity for action, reform and further integration. Enlargement is therefore not understood solely as a challenge to the Union’s capacity to absorb new members. Rather, the project investigates whether, and under what conditions, enlargement itself can become an impetus for institutional reform, democratic resilience and the renewal of the European integration project. 

AdvancEU also deliberately turns attention to the accession candidates themselves: What political, economic and societal experiences and perspectives do they bring to a future Union? And how can Europe’s future shape be developed not simply for, but together with, its prospective Member States? The project therefore places particular emphasis on exchange between existing Member States and accession candidates, bringing together different perspectives on the future development of the Union. 

Connecting Research, Policy and Teaching 

The network brings together interdisciplinary expertise from political science, law, economics and sociology, linking academic research with policy advice and university teaching. Alongside collaborative research and academic publications, AdvancEU aims to develop research-based policy recommendations and to foster structured exchange with policymakers, civil society actors and other relevant stakeholders. 

These activities are complemented by innovative teaching and knowledge-transfer formats that bring current debates on enlargement, reform and European integration into different educational contexts. A particular objective is to connect more closely two debates that have often developed separately: the discussion on internal EU reform and the accession processes of candidate countries.