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At a moment when EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy are shaped by overlapping democratic, geopolitical and security challenges, this webinar offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with cutting-edge Horizon Europe research that speaks to the fundamentals of democratic governance.
The webinar is organised on 26 February 2026 and offers:
- A clearer understanding of structural and political constraints and how these interact with EU accession processes.
- Evidence-based insights supporting more informed debate and policy reflection.
- Comparative perspectives across regions to identify common patterns, divergences, and context-specific dynamics that are often overlooked in country-by-country assessments.
- Direct access to Horizon Europe project teams, allowing for dialogue between researchers, policymakers and civil society actors on how empirical findings can inform EU policy design, implementation and evaluation.
This online webinar brings together multiple leading Horizon Europe research projects working on democracy, governance and enlargement-related issues in a single forum. They are invited to present comparative evidence and policy-relevant analysis on democratic developments in the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership countries, and Türkiye. The event is designed to contribute research-based perspectives that are highly relevant for the EU’s current and forthcoming enlargement package and broader neighbourhood policy debates.
The focus of the webinar is on core democracy-related challenges, addressed through empirical research and comparative analysis, including:
- Transitional and hybrid regimes, and respect for human rights, non-discrimination and minority rights
- Corruption and organised crime
- Media freedom, pluralism and freedom of expression
- Disinformation, foreign interference and the freedom of scientific research
- EU accession and the fundamentals, including the rule of law and the judiciary
The webinar is structured around two geographically focused sessions:
Session 1 (09:30–11:00)
Geo-scope: Western Balkans
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia
Moderated by Anne Haglund-Morrissey, European Commission
Session 2 (11:00–12:30)
Geo-scope: Eastern Partnership countries and Türkiye
Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Türkiye
Moderated by Alberto Domini, European Commission
Each session will feature short presentations by Horizon Europe project representatives, followed by moderated discussion and audience Q&A.