France and EU Enlargement: From Strategic Hesitation to a Geopolitical Shift
Paris has come a long way in its approach to enlarging the European Union. However, French support remains fragile, due in part to a lack of public support.
The EU-Western Balkans Summit, which took place on June 5 in Tivat, Montenegro, was dominated by a Franco-German initiative which conveyed an image of unity between Berlin and Paris. The “non-paper,” calling for a more flexible approach to the accession of the Western Balkan states and greater flexibility in the accession process at large, was subsequently endorsed by European Council President António Costa, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. However, the host country, Montenegro, also the most advanced of all current candidate states to join the EU, politely declined.
The proposal can be seen as a logical follow-up to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ initiative reported on May 22: in a letter to Costa and von der Leyen, the chancellor spoke out in favor of offering Ukraine an associate membership of the European Union quickly.
Initially, Paris did not give an official response to this initiative. At a press conference in late May, a French government spokesperson responded to a journalist’s question by merely referring them to the formal accession process for candidate countries – a process that must be adhered to. It’s also notable that the Franco-German non-paper makes concrete proposals for the six Western Balkan states and the Republic of Moldova, but (deliberately?) omits Ukraine.
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Article Summary
- “Geopolitical Necessity”
- Yes, But...
- Lack of Acceptance in French Society
Jeanette Süß is a research fellow at the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) at the Institut français des relations internationales (ifri), the French Institute of International Relations.
This article was published in the journal Internationale Politik Quarterly, Spring 2026 Issue: A New German Foreign Policy?.
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DOI
Internationale Politik Quaterly, Spring 2026, IPQ 3/2026
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Jeanette SÜß
Research Fellow, Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa)
The Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) was created in 1954 by an inter-governmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and France, in order to raise awareness of Germany in France and analyze Franco-German relations, including in their European and international dimensions. In its conferences and seminars, which bring together experts, political leaders, senior decision-makers and representatives of civil society from both countries, Cerfa develops the Franco-German debate and stimulates political proposals. It regularly publishes studies through two collections: Cerfa notes and studies as well as Franco-German visions.
Cerfa maintains close relations with the network of German foundations and think tanks. In addition to its research and debate activities, Cerfa promotes the emergence of a new Franco-German generation through original cooperation programs. This is how in 2021-2022, Cerfa led a program on multilateralism with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Paris. This program is aimed at young professionals from both countries interested in the issues of multilateralism in the context of their activities. It covered a wide range of themes relating to multilateralism, such as international trade, health, human rights and migration, non-proliferation and disarmament. Previously, Cerfa had participated in the Franco-German future dialogue, co-led with the DGAP from 2007 to 2020, and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Daniel Vernet group (formerly the Franco-German Reflection Group) which was founded in 2014 upon the initiative of the Genshagen Foundation.
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