Critical moment for EU enlargement
Bent Noerby Bonde argues that democratic reforms must become a permanent feature of governance, not just a precondition for EU membership
Integrating not only Ukraine, Moldova and possibly Georgia but also the Balkans into the EU would help prevent the creation of "grey" zones of geopolitical vacuum and instability in Europe's immediate neighbourhood.
Such grey zones could otherwise be exploited by powers like Russia or China to advance their expansionist interests.
Past enlargements have revealed a critical lesson: formal compliance with the rule of law and democratic reforms during the accession process does not guarantee sustained commitment once membership is secured.
The democratic backsliding witnessed in Hungary, Poland and less in other countries after their accession has exposed the inadequacy of institutional compliance mechanisms alone.
For geopolitical reasons we want accession to happen relatively quickly. This raises the urgent question of how to ensure that candidate countries not only adopt democratic principles during accession but maintain them as long-term commitments.
What we already have learned is that a mere prolongation of the time for preparations seldom offers stronger democracy standards in themselves.
It is now fundamentally about safeguarding democratic resilience in an increasingly fragile geopolitical landscape marked by internal challenges and cross-border tensions.
The EU has learned from past enlargements that ticking boxes on rule of law and democratic reforms does not ensure lasting commitment.
Democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland has revealed the limits of institutional compliance alone.
The question now is how to guarantee that new member states uphold democratic principles not only during accession but also long after membership is granted.
Regional Challenges
This challenge is especially urgent in Bosnia and Herzegovina where deep-rooted ethno-nationalist divisions paralyzes democratic functions across the B-i-H’s three entities.
In Serbia, where the government has resigned and the president considers his position against broad popular protests, there has been a backsliding of democracy and media freedom, and Kosovo’s status remains contested.
North Macedonia has resolved its name dispute with Greece, but Bulgaria’s request to recognize a Bulgarian minority—and the lack of a qualified parliamentary majority to amend the constitution—creates further hurdles.
Ukraine, under sustained Russian aggression, will likely start its accession process under ceasefire conditions and with contested borders.
Moldova and possibly Georgia face internal divisions along linguistic and ethnic lines, requiring targeted conflict prevention and peacebuilding strategies.
For geopolitical reasons – security and armed forces, migration, geographical location and economic and political influence for the region – Turkish membership would be a very important step forward. Negotiations have taken place for over 10 years but are put on hold.
In its regular reports the EU finds that there are major problems in relation to democracy, the political Copenhagen criteria, lack of recognition of minorities and fundamental rights. A new approach is essential to move democracy forward for Turkey in a sustainable way.
Media Freedoms under Threat
At the same time, media freedom is under siege across the region. Public broadcasters and advertisement markets face political interference, independent journalists are harassed, and underfunded private media struggle to survive.
Low electoral participation and widespread public disillusionment further undermine trust in democratic institutions.
In this context, a citizen-driven, institutionally embedded approach is essential.
Democratic reforms must become a permanent feature of governance, not just a precondition for EU membership.
The Citizens’ Mechanism for Democratic Reforms in Candidate Countries – a new Paradigm
In 2024, the European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) proposed a pilot initiative: The Citizens’ Mechanism for Democratic Reforms—a strategic complement to the EU’s institutional approach to enlargement.
While the European Commission and European Council focus on legal and institutional benchmarks, the Citizens’ Mechanism introduces a participatory, citizen-led dimension anchored in national parliaments, civil society and mediain both candidate and member states.
It is designed to ensure democratic reforms are shaped and sustained from within.
Democratic reforms must become a permanent feature of governance, not just a precondition for EU membership.
Key Features of the Citizens’ Mechanism
The Mechanism addresses four priority areas to help candidate countries meet and maintain EU democratic standards:
Participatory Citizens’ Assemblies
Locally adapted and CSO-led representative, deliberative citizens’ assemblies will be held at both national and multinational levels.
These assemblies will engage a diverse and socio-economic representative population—particularly youth—to discuss questions such as:
“What goals should our country pursue to better fulfill and sustain European standards for inclusive democracy and values before EU accession?”
These assemblies will identify and deliberate on key priorities for democratic reforms—particularly in media, parliamentary processes, and civil society and build on methodological principles inspired by the Conference on the Future of Europe and the OECD’s Guidelines for Citizen Participation (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Results will feed into an annual forum to guide political reforms in each country.
2. Strengthening Media and Technologically Mediated Debate
There is growing urgency to improve citizens’ access to democratic dialogue. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has expressed willingness to support innovative, tech-driven platforms — potentially including hosted social media for democracy in candidate countries. Cooperation with the Western Balkans Network of Media Regulatory Authorities and the Council of Europe (CoE) should also be reinforced.
3. Parliamentary Cooperation and Legislative Follow-Up
National parliaments in candidate countries play a crucial role in translating citizens' needs into legislative initiatives for reform.
Through parliamentary cooperation and exchange of best practices with other candidates, member states, and the European Parliament, various tools can be developed to improve citizen trust and institutional credibility.
The democratic reform goals articulated by citizens would thus be transformed into concrete legislative and regulatory initiatives.
Support to Local Civil Society Organisations
Civil society organisations in each candidate country should receive support to design and facilitate citizens' participatory processes and deliberative dialogues. They would also help manage democratic debates in traditional and social media to maximize citizen engagement in identifying areas for democratic reform.
Annual Forum for Dialogue
An annual Forum for Dialogue would bring together members of national parliaments, the European Parliament, representatives of European institutions, experts, researchers, and specialized civil society organisations on equal terms.
This Forum for Dialogue would facilitate the exchange of experiences, research findings, and democratic visions, as well as consider recommendations from citizens.
The European Commission's Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy would also participate.
The inaugural meeting would produce a joint declaration outlining purpose and activities, with subsequent Forums for Dialogue evaluating progress and making necessary adjustments.
Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention
In both the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions, democratic reforms must be grounded in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
The Baltic Media Centre offers relevant experience from its work in the Baltics, Poland, Russia, and the Balkans—employing a regional-national hybrid approach that has helped ease post-conflict transitions toward EU membership.
Toward a Comprehensive Framework for Democratic Integration
The Citizens' Mechanism, as reflected in the Europe’s People’s Forum’s concept for the Center of European Citizens' Democracy (CECD), goes beyond traditional approaches by embedding citizen participation, parliamentary cooperation, and media engagement directly into the accession process.
This comprehensive framework recognizes that true democratic resilience requires not just institutional compliance but active civic engagement and ownership of democratic values and processes.
By addressing the complex democratic challenges facing EU candidate and neighbourhood countries through this multi-faceted, citizen-centered approach, the EU can help ensure that democratic reforms become not merely technical requirements for accession but enduring foundations for governance that persist long after membership is achieved or reforms have been made.
