24 March 2026, 10h – 11h30

Online or at Ifri — Ifri, 27 rue de la procession, 75015 Paris

This discussion will be held in English with french translation

Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought the enlargement of the European Union back to the centre of European strategic debates. In this context, the Western Balkans have regained heightened visibility in discussions on the continent’s security, at a time when the international environment is marked by a growing number of destabilising factors.

Destabilisation efforts attributed to Russia, China’s increasing use of economic instruments for influence, and a United States posture perceived as more transactional, unpredictable, and at times disruptive all contribute to complicating Europe’s strategic choices. Against this backdrop, France’s position appears to be evolving toward a more explicitly strategic approach to enlargement, no longer viewed solely as a project of political integration but also as a potential lever for stability and credibility for the Union. This shift nonetheless raises a number of questions. 

To what extent can enlargement genuinely strengthen the EU’s geopolitical resilience without undermining its institutional, political, and budgetary balances? How can short-term geopolitical imperatives be prevented from overshadowing the requirements of internal coherence and the long-term sustainability of the European project? 

10h00 | Welcome Remarks

Dominique David, Advisor to Chairman of Ifri, President of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe (CFA)

10h05 |  Keynote

Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for Europe, attached ti the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs 

10h15 | Discussion

Pierre Vimont, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, former Executive Secretary-General, European External Action Service
Jovana Marović, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs of Montenegro, BiPAG member
Nikola Dimitrov, former Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, BiPAG member
Doris Wydra, Senior Scientist and Executive Director of the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies

Chair: 

Florent Marciacq, Deputy Secretary General of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe (CFA), and Research associate at the Ifri
 

This conference is organised in cooperation with the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) and Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) 

Opening by Benjamin Haddad

Panel