Steven Blockmans

In recent years, security and defence have become key EU policy priorities.

At #CEPSLab2026, our second plenary will explore the future of EU security. Our speakers will discuss a European pillar within #NATO and policy options for long-term stability.

Learn more: ideaslab.ceps.eu/plenary-2-wh...

✨ The ENSURED policy brief that brings it all together ✨

As geopolitical tensions rise, the EU faces strategic choices. What does it take to defend global cooperation?

🔗 Answers in @stevenblockmans.bsky.social's new policy brief: www.ensuredeurope.eu/publications...

@ceps.eu

EU Enlargement Conference 2026: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back? #EUEC2026

Matching the need for speed and the merits-based approach

@martakos.ec.europa.eu, Taras Kachka, Cristina Gherasimov, @iivanisevic.bsky.social, @vseviov.bsky.social. Moderator: Helga Kalm

🎦 www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGG9...

EUEC 2026: Introduction + Keynote + Matching the need for speed and the merits-based approach YouTube video by International Centre for Defence and Security

HAPPENING NOW | EU Enlargement Conference: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?

Keynote address: Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement @martakos.ec.europa.eu

🔴 Follow us LIVE: www.youtube.com/live/rGG95L5...

#EUEC2026

The European Union enlargement methodology was made for peaceful times... — yet we are living in times that are quite the opposite.

For the first time, we have outside forces that want to see us fail as enlargement project — we have to react, said Marta Kos. @martakos.ec.europa.eu

#EUEC2026

YouTube video by International Centre for Defence and Security EUEC 2026: Introduction + Keynote + Matching the need for speed and the merits-based approach

Re-watch the introduction and welcoming remarks by Steven Blockmans and Margus Tsahkna and the keynote address by Marta Kos.

@martakos.ec.europa.eu @tsahkna.bsky.social @stevenblockmans.bsky.social

#EUEC2026

The State of EU Enlargement at the Outset of 2026: On The Brink of Major Breakthroughs - International Centre for Defence and Security The EU enlargement process received a jolt of energy in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and saw major developments in 2025.

There is now a rare opportunity to rewrite the rules behind the long and arduous enlargement process and introduce much-needed flexibility.

Exceptional circumstances call for exceptional measures, write Steven Blockmans and Michael Emerson.

@stevenblockmans.bsky.social @ceps.eu

What does "grabbing Greenland" mean for NATO and the EU?

With solidarity potentially fading in both organisations, STEVEN BLOCKMANS (stevenblockmans.bsky.social) suggests a European security framework that complements existing alliances.

verfassungsblog.de/greenland-na...

Really pleased to share my latest analysis, with the excellent Steven Blockmans, on EDPCIs for the @europarl.europa.eu. We look at the what, how and why of EU common defence projects. Timely, we think.

Read here: www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etud...

@stevenblockmans.bsky.social

#REUNIR: 2025 UNWRAPPED! 🎄

As 2025 draws to a close, we invite you to explore the latest analyses and research from REUNIR

🌐 Read the full newsletter on our website: reunir-horizon.eu/reunir-2025-...

Happy Holidays! Warmest Wishes for a Bright 2026!

@horizoneu.bsky.social

Actorness in Different Shades? Comparing EU External Action Across Global Governance Institutions - Research Report | ENSURED How strong an international actor is the EU in a shifting geopolitical landscape? Findings show significant variation in actorness across policy areas and highlight that different forms of EU support ...

🚨 REPORT | "Actorness in Different Shades? Comparing EU External Action Across Global Governance Institutions"

Drawing on 15 ENSURED case studies, @franziskapetri.bsky.social, @stevenblockmans.bsky.social, Edith Drieskens & @cerenjilan.bsky.social analyse how the EU performs across 5 policy areas.

Репараційний кредит від ЄС буксує. П'ять причин, чому Бельгія захищає російські активи і що подолає вето — Forbes.ua Доля репараційного кредиту для України лишається у підвішеному стані: Бельгія блокує використання російських активів, у гру втрутились США. Які шанси на успіх?

Five reasons for the Belgian holdout on a reparations loan for Ukraine. Launching proceedings before the ECJ to test the legality of the proposal could be a way for the PM to save face while allowing the EU to move on. Wouldn’t be the 1st time BE used this escape hatch (🇨🇦) forbes.ua/svit/zberegt...

🌍 Reflecting on an inspiring three days at the Belgrade Security Conference 2025! @bezbednost.bsky.social

📌 Held from 17–19 November, the conference brought together policymakers, diplomats, researchers, & civil society leaders pressing political & strategic challenges.

@horizoneu.bsky.social

Interesting read on my way to Belgrade for #BSC2025

Turkey has become one of the most active middle powers navigating a fragmenting global order. 🇹🇷

In their new policy brief, guest authors Jeffery Mankoff and @muhdansaglam.bsky.social outline how the US and Europe can strengthen cooperation with Turkey.

Read it here: www.ceps.eu/ceps-publica...

🚨New #Blog

Moldova’s New Beginning: Lessons from Russia’s Hybrid Interference and a Test for Democratic Resilience

✍Iulian Groza, Executive Director, Institutul pentru Politici și Reforme Europene (IPRE)

🌐Read the full blog on our website: reunir-horizon.eu/moldovas-new...

@horizoneu.bsky.social

#REUNIR #Confessionals
In this edition, 🇦🇱's Ambassador to the 🇪🇺Ferit Hoxha, shares his reflections on the key external threats facing Albania today - and how resilience and progress toward EU accession remain deeply interconnected. 🇪🇺🇦🇱

@horizoneu.bsky.social

More: reunir-horizon.eu/reunir-confe...

We are live (streaming): www.ceps.eu/ceps-events/...

with DG Koopman 🇪🇺 and Ambassadors of Albania 🇦🇱, Kosovo 🇽🇰, Moldova 🇲🇩, Montenegro 🇲🇪, Ukraine 🇺🇦

#Lawfare: Many advanced weapons systems rely on rare-earth elements, incl. F-35 fighter jets, radar systems, Predator UAVs, the Joint Direct Attack Munition series of smart bombs, and Tomahawk missiles, which Trump is considering sending to Ukraine.

www.rferl.org/a/33558748.h...

GIP, Georgia’s Key Think Tank, Halts Work Citing Repression, Loss of Mission - Civil Georgia The Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP), a leading Tbilisi-based think tank established in 2011, an

One more of our trusted partners falls victim to the Georgian Dream’s increasing repression. As an independent policy research institution sharing GIP’s democratic values, @ceps.eu stands with its Georgian colleagues

civil.ge/archives/703...

From Stalemate to Solution: Rethinking EU Approaches to Bilateral Disputes in the Context of Enlargement - ICDS Although Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has given new momentum to the European Union’s enlargement process, further progress is being hindered by unresolved bilateral disputes.

The ability to manage and resolve disputes is not merely a technical requirement for EU enlargement but increasingly a strategic necessity in a more conflicted geopolitical environment.

📄 New report by Steven Blockmans and Butrint Berisha.

@stevenblockmans.bsky.social @butrintberisha.bsky.social

With references to my recent @ceps.eu policy brief with Michael Emerson on how to radically simplify and streamline the EU enlargement process

👉 www.ceps.eu/ceps-publica...

VDL has promised to widen the ‘simplification’ agenda to other policy areas. With various forms of ‘gradual integration’, her Commission has gone the opposite way, adding administrative burden to an already long and cumbersome process.

Here’s a proposal to radically simplify EU enlargement 👇

#REUNIRBlog

🇲🇩 In a new op-ed, Iulian Groza (IPRE - Institutul pentru Politici și Reforme Europene) highlights how civil society, independent media, and state institutions are working together to safeguard democratic integrity.

👉 Read more: reunir-horizon.eu/op-ed-moldov...

@horizoneu.bsky.social

Can international organisations be both effective and robust — or must one always come at the expense of the other?

Read about the trade-offs IOs must navigate to deliver results while remaining resilient to existential challenges: www.ensuredeurope.eu/publications

How to radically simplify and streamline the EU enlargement process – CEPS Over the last year the EU’s enlargement process has seen the implementation of a new ‘gradual integration’ concept, allowing for some modest elements of single

Noting that Von der Leyen’s drive to simplify EU regulations and governance is an open-ended commitment, Michael Emerson and I advocate that the Commission takes up the enlargement process as a next case of application. Via @ceps.eu

www.ceps.eu/ceps-publica...

📢 We are launching a new Task Force on a European Pillar within NATO with @rusi.bsky.social, Clingendael and the Institute for European Policymaking of Bocconi University.

It will bring together experts to define practical steps for strengthening Europe’s defence readiness.

👉 bit.ly/4mGWJnr

Caught between an aggressive Russia and a disengaging US, Europe is ramping up its defence spending. But is it enough to deter Russia? Does the EU need new competences to turbocharge defence procurement & build a stronger defence industry?

📅 Join us on Wednesday to discuss it! bit.ly/4g3GyOC

Moldova Should Not Be Decoupled from Ukraine in EU Accession - ICDS Member states are currently considering putting Moldova ahead of Ukraine on the track to join the European Union. While the desire to secure Moldova’s EU trajectory ahead of parliamentary elections at...

"Enlargement must be a reward for sustained reform, not an instrument of short-term political engineering."

Pushing Moldova’s EU bid before September’s election is understandable, but decoupling it from Ukraine would be a mistake, argues Steven Blockmans.

@stevenblockmans.bsky.social

Perspectives on enlargement and reform of the EU: Fit for 35 Eight leading experts discuss how to achieve peace, security and stability in Europe by enlarging the EU.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has transformed the security situation in Europe. One consequence is that EU enlargement is once again a top priority.

In a new SIEPS publication, leading experts discuss what it takes to achieve peace, security and stability in Europe by enlarging the EU.