Why the next Commission cycle will be defined by enlargement
Whilst the current Commission cycle has been characterised by the green and digital transitions, its successor will be characterised by enlargement. Eight candidate countries find themselves at varying stages of the accession process, and the political momentum behind further expansion of the Union has seldom been stronger since the 2004 ‘big bang’ wave.
Yet the institutional implications are profound. Voting weights, the size of the Commission, the structure of Parliament, the use of unanimity, the Multiannual Financial Framework — all rest on assumptions that simply cannot survive contact with a 35-member Union.
Reform of the EU’s internal arrangements is no longer a matter of preference or ambition; it has become a precondition for credible enlargement. The work must begin now — not in 2027.
