Key facts
- The European Commission's DG ENEST is struggling with capacity due to an accelerated enlargement drive.
- More negotiating chapters have closed in six months than in the past decade.
- Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for accession, with Montenegro aiming for membership by 2028.
- High staff turnover and reliance on temporary contracts are impacting institutional memory.
- Ukraine and Moldova are also pushing for rapid progress in their accession talks.
The European Commission's department responsible for enlargement is facing a significant capacity crisis as the bloc accelerates its accession drive. The Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) is struggling to manage the workload of multiple candidate countries simultaneously, a situation exacerbated by a recent surge in closed negotiating chapters.
Sources indicate that the strain is a direct consequence of the EU's booming enlargement efforts, with more progress made in the last six months than in the preceding decade. Montenegro is reportedly drafting its accession treaty with a target of becoming the 28th member by 2028, followed closely by Albania. This intensive work has led to a reallocation of resources, impacting officials previously focused on other Western Balkan nations.
An anonymous official highlighted that the Commission is losing institutional memory and capacity, as the last country to join the EU was Croatia in 2013. The reliance on temporary contracts contributes to high staff turnover and a lack of experienced negotiators. The situation could become more complex with Iceland's potential return to accession talks following a referendum, requiring the establishment of a new task force.
Adding to the pressure, Ukraine and Moldova have recently opened negotiating chapters, and there is political momentum to open the remaining four before the end of the year. However, Hungary has called for a more measured approach, citing domestic political reasons. The current enlargement methodology has not seen countries open all clusters simultaneously, with Albania taking over a year to do so, even with expedited progress.
Officials in Brussels acknowledge that managing so many countries at once necessitates re-prioritizing internal resources. Both Ukraine and Moldova are also reportedly nearing their capacity limits in handling such complex negotiations and legal integration. The challenge extends beyond the Commission, with the Council of the EU and member states also needing to bolster their internal capabilities to support the enlarged bloc.