All I want for Christmas is EU

December 2023

These days, people across Europe are making their wish lists, be it for Christmas or New Year. While children may wish for toys and adults for various gifts, some of us may wish for unity and goodwill at a larger scale – wishing for a future-proof EU.

For some people in the Ukraine and Moldova, the EU Council decision on 14 December to open accession negotiations with these two countries was probably a step towards this wish becoming true. Also the decision to grant the status of a candidate country to Georgia, and maybe even the reaffirmation of the EU’s commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans make people feel that their EU dreams and wishes may come true in the near future.

Not only people outside the EU want positive EU perspectives for Christmas, New Year and beyond. As fragmentation and discontent are on the rise, also many EU citizens may wish for more of a collective objective for the EU to thrive for good future perspectives for its citizens.