The World Stage

• The Neighbourhood: The EU’s enlargement reality check

  How are enlargement reforms unfolding on the ground and what drives progress or stagnation? The 2025 Enlargement Package presents a mixed picture: Ukraine and Moldova are racing ahead, while Serbia and Georgia are lagging. The EU itself is struggling with internal divisions and reform fatigue.This episode of The World Stage is part of The Neighbourhood series from the NUPI-led project Re-engage, produced by ECFR and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. In this episode, ECFR's Jessica Hendrick is joined by Tiago Antunes, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Power programme, Leo Litra, visiting fellow at ECFR and senior fellow at Kyiv’s New Europe Center and Engjellushe Morina, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Security programme. Together, they discuss what this year’s enlargement report says about political will, institutional resilience and the everyday impact of enlargement.How can the EU make conditionality more credible? Are EU reforms changing behaviour in governments, institutions and people’s lives? And how can Brussels keep the reform energy alive?This episode was recorded on November 12th 2025. iIt's the second episode from the RE-ENGAGE podcast series The Neighbourhood, which unpacks how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security. The podcast series is produced by ECFR, and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. The RE-ENGAGE project is led by NUPI, and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101132314. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Democratic backsliding, illiberal regimes and international cooperation under pressure

  The international system faces its gravest crisis in decades. As global democracy retreats, authoritarian regimes actively challenge established international rules and norms.This episode asks: Which institutions are worth saving in this "burning house" of cooperation? We analyse the paralysis of the UN Security Council and NATO's struggle against illiberal pressures as the world order begins to fragment. You will hear from Roland Paris, Alexandra Gheciu (both University of Ottawa) and NUPI's Ole Jacob Sending. The host for this episode is Marie Furhovden (NUPI).This episode is part of the NUPI led project NAVIGATOR that is investigating how the EU should navigate multilateral cooperation. The project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Grant agreement ID: 101094394. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The Neighbourhood: Europe’s enlargement moment

  EU enlargement is back at the top of the EU’s political agenda as Russia’s war against Ukraine has transformed it from a bureaucratic process into a matter of European security.In this episode, Mark Leonard speaks with Lykke Friis, co-chair of ECFR’s council, director of the Danish think-tank Europa, and former Danish minister, as European leaders gather for the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen. Together they discuss why Denmark has shifted to advocating for enlargement and why Europe’s future security may depend on bringing Ukraine and Moldova closer.Is the EU ready for a new wave of member countries? Can enlargement be both geopolitical and merit-based? And what role will Denmark play in defining the EU’s next chapter?Bookshelf:Strength in members: How to rally EU enlargement for defence by Gustav Gressel, Nicu PopescuNew report on EU enlargement and integration by Piotr Buras with Lykke Friis, Engjellushe Morina and Iben SchackeDeutschland 1946: Das Wunder beginnt by Rüdiger Barth, Hauke FriederichsIndignity: A Life Reimagined by Lea YpiThis episode was recorded on October 2nd, 2025. The episode marks the launch of ECFR’s new RE-ENGAGE podcast series: The Neighbourhood, which will unpack how countries hoping to join the EU navigate political change and outside pressure, and what that means for Europe’s democracy and security. The podcast series is produced by ECFR, and co-published by ECFR and NUPI. The RE-ENGAGE project is les by NUPI, and is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101132314. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Constructivist theorizing in tumultuous times (ft Nicholas Onuf and Stefano Guzzini)

  With the growing sense of perpetual and compounding global crises and war, it is not only policy makers that are scrambling to respond. The discipline of International Relations has also been thrown into upheaval and reconsidering and revising its theoretical apparatus. This episode of the World Stage takes a step back and discusses the role of constructivism for Illuminating the current moment with two of its leading theoreticians: Stefano Guzzini and Nicholas Onuf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Arctic ambitions: Norway’s new High North strategy

  How does the new Norwegian High North strategy situate Norway and its northernmost countries in Arctic and global politics? What are the new priorities and signals in the strategy? And how will they be realized in practice in Norwegian foreign policy?In this episode of the NUPI podcast The World Stage, NUPI researcher Elana Wilson Rowe sits down with State Secretary (MFA) Maria Varteressian, and NUPI colleague Karsten Friis to discuss the new High North strategy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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