Zamor

when enlargement fatigue goes hand in hand with accession fatigue

Authors

Keywords:

European Union, Enlargement Policy, accession fatigue, North Macedonia

Abstract

Following the accession of twelve candidate states between 2004 and 2007, the European Union’s enlargement process stagnated for a prolonged period. Except for Croatia, which became a member in 2013, none of the other Balkan states that applied for membership have achieved this goal. This article aims to recap the evolution of the Enlargement Policy since 2004 and to explore explanatory factors for the uncommon duration of these applications and which have led to a simultaneous ‘enlargement fatigue’ and ‘accession fatigue’. The specific case of North Macedonia will be used as a case study.

Author Biography

Pascoal Santos Pereira, UPT

Investigador no Instituto Jurídico Portucalense e professor auxiliar no Departamento de Direito da Universidade Portucalense. Doutorado em Política Internacional e Resolução de Conflitos pela Universidade de Coimbra, os seus interesses de investigação incluem teorias do nacionalismo, prevenção de conflitos e convivência pacífica em sociedades multiétnicas.

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Published

2026-08-24

Issue

No. 86 (2025): O alargamento e o futuro da União Europeia

Section

Artigos