EU's enlargement risks becoming a victim of its own success

Published on

31/07/2026 - 10:03 GMT+2

The European Commission is running short on capacity to manage several accession processes at the same time — and the worst may be yet to come.

The EU executive's Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) is facing a mounting capacity challenge, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.

Ironically, the strain is due to the bloc's booming enlargement drive: more negotiating chapters have closed in the past six months than in the past decade.