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Tirana, 21 november 2025
College of Europe in Tirana, Godina Liria Building
9:00-13:00
Language of work: English
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has breathed new life into the European Union (EU) enlargement process. The latter had effectively come to a halt in the early 2020s. Under the pressure of dramatic events that have upended peace and security in Europe, Ukraine and Moldova have started accession negotiations in 2024, a development that few would have imagined just years before. Renewed efforts are now taking place also in the Western Balkans, where a plurality of countries have been waiting for a breakthrough for many years.
Yet, while the EU has recommitted to EU enlargement as a strategic priority, the enlargement agenda remains entangled in difficulties, pitfalls, and challenges old and new, from lingering concerns about absorption capacity to demanding reform processes, or the lack thereof. As a result, virtually no candidate country currently faces a straightforward path to membership within a certain timeline. And when specific initiatives are advanced to break the impasse, the geopolitical argument is generally presented as the most compelling: enlargement must be the response to a growing cohort of internal detractors and external rivals that are betting on the imminent demise of the value-based European order the EU has played such a prominent role in establishing over much of the continent.
Against this backdrop, the Enlargement Pulse Colloquium intends to offer an open platform for discussing the future of EU enlargement and highlighting its continuing value. With the aim of truly “taking the pulse” of ongoing enlargement processes in various national contexts, the Colloquium will distinctively focus on the societal and human dimensions of EU enlargement, reaffirming the centrality of human development and democratic civic engagement aspects of the European project. Enlargement Pulse Colloquium panels will address the continuing importance of “winning the hearts and minds” of European citizens around the vision of a stronger and more united Europe as a necessary condition for the EU to truly assert itself as a strategic actor in its own right.
A joint initiative of the College of Europe and the CSF Foundation, the Colloquium is intended to become a series, taking place on an annual basis on the premises of the College of Europe Tirana Campus. The event will feature a rolling agenda of academic and policy experts from government, think tanks, and civil society, engaging in panel discussions aimed at articulating the value of European enlargement in the current context. Hosted by a higher education institution renown for forming Europe’s next leaders, the Colloquium will organically include youth perspectives in its debates.
Signally, starting in 2026, the Colloquium will offer the winner of the Master’s Thesis Award on “Societal Impact of Further EU Enlargement”, supported by the CSF Foundation, the opportunity to discuss her/his findings together with renowned academic and policy experts, including members of the erstwhile “European Foreign and Security Policy Studies Program”. The latter was a successful initiative jointly developed by the Compagnia di San Paolo foundation, the Volkswagen Stiftung and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. Additionally, the event will provide the suitable occasion for promoting the “Alessandro Rotta Scholarships” for Tirana Campus-based students, an initiative which is also supported by the CSF Foundation.
09:00 – 09:15 Welcome address
Federica Mogherini I Rector, College of Europe
Nicolò Russo Perez I Director, CSF Foundation
9:15 – 9:30 Keynote address: Elisa Spiropali I Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania
09:30 – 10:40 Panel discussion EU Enlargement and Challenges of Civic Democratic Engagement in Support of European values
Fabrizio Tassinari I Executive Director, School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute
Ivan Vejvoda I Permanent Fellow, Austrian Institute for International Affairs in Vienna, and co-founder of the Europe’s Futures Initiative with ERSTE Foundation
Veronica Anghel I Assistant Professor, European University Institute
Valbona Zeneli I Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council's Europe Center
Moderator: Igor Vidačak I Director of Studies, College of Europe in Tirana
10:40 – 11:00 Coffee break
Ceremony of signing of the MoU between the College of Europe and CSF Foundation
11:00 – 12:00 Panel discussion Albania on the way to EU membership
Marco Alberti I Ambassador of Italy to Albania (tbc)
Odeta Barbullushi I Resident professor, College of Europe in Tirana
Blerjana Bino I Co-Founder and Executive Director, Center Science and Innovation for Development - SCiDEV
Gentian Elezi I Resident professor, College of Europe in Tirana
Moderator: Emiliano Alessandri I Member of Board of Directors, CSF Foundation
12:00 – 13:00 Buffet lunch
