“From Polls to Policy: Shaping the Upcoming EU Enlargement Agenda” event held in Belgrade

The event “From Polls to Policy: Shaping the Upcoming EU Enlargement Agenda” was held on 15 September 2026 at Europe House in Belgrade, in a hybrid format. It was organised by the Working Group on Enlargement and the Common European Future of the Civil Society & Think Tank Forum (CSF 2026), within the framework of the Berlin Process 2026, and supported by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans (OSF-WB).

The event was jointly organised by the European Policy Centre (CEP), Belgrade, and the European Policy Institute (EPI), Skopje, which over the summer engaged with and polled think tanks across the Western Balkans and the EU on key enlargement-related issues.

Building on three consultation webinars held between June and August 2026, participants discussed the main findings and draft recommendations on three key themes: enlargement-related non-papers and the operationalisation of gradual integration; bilateral disputes, regional cooperation and the role of civil society; and the risk of a renewed enlargement slowdown following the accession of one or two frontrunners.

Following opening remarks by Dušan Šabić (OSF-WB) and a presentation of the strongest survey findings by Strahinja Subotić (CEP), a moderated discussion was held, led by Stefan Ristovski (EPI), with the participation of Andrej Lepavcov (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of North Macedonia), Srđan Majstorović (CEP), Duško Lopandić (European Movement), Jana Juzova (EUCRTA) and Bojana Selaković (NKEU). The panel discussed how consultation findings and poll results could be translated into a concise set of common messages and priorities for the upcoming Berlin Process, rather than reopening each individual debate.

The event concluded with a session on generating concrete recommendations, followed by a Q&A segment in which participants reflected on and discussed the proposed priorities.