Warsaw – ESI at Europe Future Forum

16 September 2025
Kristof Bender. Photo: Res Publica Foundation
Kristof Bender. Photo: Res Publica Foundation

ESI’s Kristof Bender was invited to the Europe Future Forum that took place in Warsaw from 15 to 17 September 2025. The event was organised by the Res Publica Foundation, the publisher of Visegrad Insight, and brought together nearly 200 government officials, think tankers, business leaders and journalists. The central theme of the Forum was economic security amid global chaos – Russia’s aggression, China's trade maneuvers, US tariffs, and Ukraine's integration – plus visions for EU enlargement.

Kristof participated in closed-door sessions on the next EU budget (Multiannual financing framework or MFF). He argued that to strengthen the credibility of the EU’s efforts to revive its enlargement policy it should set aside funds for new member states in the next budget (2028-2034). In the current proposal €43 billion are earmarked for pre-accession funding and another €100 billion for a “Ukraine reserve”, but nothing for new member states. While the Commission says its expects several accession countries to finish accession negotiations, it suggests that respective budget changes would be made only once accession dates became clear.

In a time when the EU accession process has already lost much of its credibility due to hesitation by key EU member states and a proliferation of blockages based on purely bilateral concerns that have nothing to do with EU criteria, this approach sends the wrong signal. Given that, realistically, no accession country will be prepared before 2030 and most will not have become ready even by the end of the budget period (2034), the actual costs for new members will be manageable. Failing to seize the opportunity to use the MFF to reaffirm the EU’s commitments to Europe's embattled periphery is not in the interest of the EU and its member states.

Kristof Bender. Photo: Res Publica Foundation
Kristof Bender. Photo: Res Publica Foundation