Enlargement is a must, and it should not be tomorrow; it should be today. It requires a political decision, creativity, and communication with citizens.

Let me start with the communication aspect: many European leaders say that enlargement is bad. That's what bureaucrats would say. A politician should instead say: ”I'm taking this decision because this is good for x y z reasons, and I'm going to go around and tell people why am I taking this bold political decision.”

Next, about creativity: there is a fear of new member states blocking key legislation, so let’s use a gradual integration model. We have seen this happen with the countries that joined between 2004 and 2007. Access to the labour market was not given to the countries before a transitional period. We can have a transitional period for voting in the Council, voting in the Parliament and voting for the election of Commissioners.

With these changes, there can be a political decision of the EU to enlarge by the end of this year. Get those countries in. Make sure they have a place on the table. Do not give them a right to vote until they have proven their democratic capacities, and follow the rule of law. At least remove the doubt whether the brothers and sisters will be inside the house. Otherwise, other houses will open to them.

The EU cannot really sell a narrative that is very forceful and attractive to potential members because it does not have the credibility to do so. Let me give you an example: during the Covid-19 crisis, the first ones to give vaccines to the Western Balkans were the Chinese, not the Europeans. The Europeans were petrified how they were going to save their lives, reasonably so.

Nonetheless, the Chinese, even if their vaccines were water, gave it to the Western Balkans. Russia did it as well. The first vaccines went to Serbia, and then Serbia gave them to the neighbours. This was a very simple campaign to win the hearts and minds.

Communication is not only about press releases. It's about understanding how people function with hearts. European liberal leaders have that problem these days. They think that their voters are only rational beings. They're also emotional beings. Rationality in times of trouble is only one segment that needs to be addressed. The EU does not have anything to please the people's emotions except saying: we have the money, we will give it to you.

Let me explain something to you that one of the most important people in my life explained to me, my mother. When I told her: ”Come on, the EU gives us so much money compared to Serbia”, her response was very simple. She said: ”Yes, the EU is rich, they have money to give. Serbia is poor, and they still share.” Very difficult to leave me speechless, but my mom did so. It's all about communication. To be so wealthy, to be so powerful, and not to be able to communicate to the neighbours. That's a massive failure.

The world is not the same as it was in the 1990s, when Western democracies and Europe were the dominant forces of good and were the only inspiration for people in the Eastern side of Europe and the neighbourhood of the European Union.Thirty years later, the world is a very different place. There are alternatives to EU enlargement. They might not be democratic, they could likely be more autocratic, but they present themselves as alternative governments that take bold decisions.

Just look at the Macedonian elections [where the national-conservative coalition won]. Who was the first to congratulate the coalition’s win? Orbán. Who was number two? Vucic from Serbia. Orbán cares who is in the leading position in the neighbourhood. Macron couldn't care less. The prime minister of Sweden couldn't care less. Pedro Sanchez or the prime minister of Portugal even less.

The EU is not really functioning as a family that understands that some of the younger brothers are out there in the cold and need to be brought into the house. They just say one day there will be space for you in the house. But let us first rebuild the rules. Let us first build another floor. Let us first build the garden, and then we will discuss. Sure, you will come to our house, but one day in the future. The inshallah-enlargement of the EU has produced tragic results in the neighbourhood.

I don't think it will happen soon, not in the next five years for sure, because European leaders are simply petrified that it won't win them elections. This is actually why France vetoed Macedonia in 2018 [EU countries must vote unanimously to accept a candidate into EU membership talks. France vetoed North Macedonia’s bid in 2018]. They had local elections in 2019 and said if they accepted Macedonia, they would lose the elections. Well, they lost the continent because of their logic.

Nowadays, the mantra is ”we will do the enlargement in parallel with the reform of the EU.” But the EU is not being reformed. Macron had amazing ideas about reforming the EU before he was elected for the first time. What happened to them? Nothing. Even Montenegro, the most likely candidate to join, is not pressured to fully align with everything that the EU stands for. So basically, they're not criticised, and on the other hand, they're not incentivised to speed up reforms. Now we will have the midterm assessment in June, and once we have that midterm assessment, then we will have to set up the EU institutions by the end of the year, so we will have a decision…

Enlargement by 2030 is the most optimistic scenario, that also Charles Michel [President of the European Council] hoped for. But he was basically not supported by anyone. And 2030, come on. God knows what will happen by then. Maybe the Martians will rule the planet Earth. Why bother about something that is not imminent?

I would give the candidate countries the benefit of the doubt, let them in and tell them that by 2030 they have to comply with everything, otherwise they won't just not have voting rights but will be out in the cold again.

The problem is how the EU is set up. Petty politicians use the veto mechanisms as a blackmailing opportunity to extract more benefits for themselves instead of thinking altruistically. It's a selfish world out there.