Association, membership and the EU’s capability to act geopolitically

Hubert Gabrisch

No 111, wiiw Policy Notes from The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw

Abstract: This article critically analyses the German proposal of ‘associate membership’ for Ukraine, considering it against the backdrop of the tension between geopolitical challenges and the Union’s capacity to act. It begins with the premise that the Union’s current economic and political weakness stems from its institutional architecture, which no longer allows it to respond adequately to geopolitical challenges. This has resulted in the Union being sidelined in international diplomacy regarding Ukraine, and poses the risk of interference by Russia, China and the US in other candidate countries. Neither an expansion of the Union in terms of territory and population, nor a blurring of the fundamental distinction between association and membership instruments can change this situation. A resolute and pragmatic policy of internal reform is the superior alternative to the German proposal; until that can be put in place, one viable option could be to upgrade existing association agreements by incorporating the countries into the European Economic Area.

Keywords: European Union; Merz proposal; enlargement; association; legal basis; treaty reforms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F15 K33 O52 P48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 19 pages
Date: 2026-09
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Published as wiiw Policy Note

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