OADI 2305 - The EU enlargement to the West Balkans and Eastern Europe: A Geopolitical Project

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

This course examines the current process of EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. It will examine the evolution of this political process, which is currently driven as much by democratic transformation as by geopolitics. The course will address the issue of EU enlargement in the perspective of European integration theory as well as security theory. It will highlight the specificities of negotiations between the EU institutions, the EU member states and the candidate countries. It will also focus of the politicization of enlargement in candidate countries and EU member states, and its acceptance by public opinions.
Learning Outcomes

1. Understanding EU integration process

2. Understanding EU geopolitical competition in Europe

3. Reflecting on democratization of EU periphery

Professional Skills

Expertise on EU politics

Christian LEQUESNE
Cours magistral seul
English
- In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

- Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 hours per week

- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 10 hours per semester

None
Autumn 2025-2026
(i) Oral presentation 40%

(ii) Written exam 60%

Comments on written papers, email and office hours
1. Desmond Dinan (2014) European Recast. A History of the European Union, Boulder: Lynne Rienner, pp. 253-265 (Chapter 8).
2. Schimmelfennig, Frank (2024) Geopolitical Enlargement' in M. Jopp, J. Pollak (eds.), The European Union's Geopolitics.The Future of Europe, Cham: Springer, pp. 79-98. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-74587-4_4
3. Franck Schimmelfennig and Ulrich Sedelmeier (2002), Theorizing EU enlargement: research focus, hypotheses, and the state of research, Journal of European Public Policy, 9(4): 500-528.
4. Maria Giulia Amadio Viceré and Stephanie Hofmann (2025) Global governance by the EU' in Elgar Handbook of European Union Governance, Cheltenham: Elgar, pp. 99-112.