Enhancing the Success of EU Enlargement

OWN-EU explores how political ownership and territorial capital interact to influence the success of European Union enlargement. Political ownership is the commitment of governments, institutions and citizens to carry reforms forward. Territorial capital is the mix of resources, capacities and characteristics that makes each place distinctive.

The project focuses on the Western Balkans and the Eastern Neighbourhood, and draws lessons from the EU's earlier enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe. Comparative case studies, Living Labs and participatory foresight bring citizens, stakeholders and decision-makers into the research.

Bringing together an international, interdisciplinary consortium, OWN-EU develops a new framework for understanding enlargement and aims to provide evidence-based, territorially sensitive recommendations for policy-makers in the EU, its member states and the candidate countries.