Zamor: when enlargement fatigue goes hand in hand with accession fatigue
Journal: Relações Internacionais
Year: 2025

Following the accession of 12 candidate states between 2004 and 2007, the European Union’s enlargement process stagnated for a prolonged period. Except for Croatia, which became a member in 2013, none of the other Balkan states that applied for membership have achieved this goal. This article aims to recap the evolution of the Enlargement Policy since 2004 and to explore explanatory factors for the uncommon duration of these applications and which have led to a simultaneous ‘enlargement fatigue’