The European Union’s enlargement process is entering a new phase, where the challenge is no longer just about meeting political, economic or legal criteria. Brussels is increasingly seeing that candidate countries are facing another front – that of hybrid warfare, disinformation and external interventions aimed at weakening democratic institutions and slowing down the path towards European integration. It is in this context that the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, has announced that the European Commission is drafting a new strategy to protect candidate countries from external influences, information manipulation, hybrid threats and the use of new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, during electoral processes.
According to her, a Center for Democratic Resistance is expected to start operating in early 2027, covering the six countries of the Western Balkans and serving as a coordination mechanism for the protection of democracy, electoral security and institutional integrity. “Candidate countries are being attacked simply because they have chosen EU integration and democracy,” Kos declared, emphasizing that the European Union aims to build concrete capacities to make these countries more resistant to disinformation campaigns and manipulation of public opinion. The platform on which this center will be built is still under preparation and is expected to be discussed on September 4 during the meeting of Foreign Ministers of EU member states and candidate countries.
THE CASE OF MONTENEGRO AS AN ALARM FOR BRUSSELS
In her argument, Kos brought Montenegro as an example, describing it as a concrete case of the escalation of hybrid attacks. According to her, just one day after the European Commission announced the start of work on the preparation of the accession treaty of Montenegro to the EU, the Montenegrin authorities requested support from Brussels in the face of a new wave of hybrid attacks and disinformation campaigns. The Commissioner said that since that moment, an intensification of narratives against European integration has been observed, considering this an indicator of how sensitive the enlargement process is to external interference. For this reason, the European Commission has started sending specialized teams to candidate countries to assess the institutional capacities they have for the protection of democracy and to identify gaps that require support.
THE BALKANS, A TESTING GROUND FOR HYBRID WARFARE
Marta Kos’s statements reflect a significant shift in the way the European Union conceives of the enlargement process. If until a few years ago the focus was almost exclusively on reforms in the judiciary, administration or economy, today democratic security is being treated as an equally important condition. According to the European Commission, the countries of the Western Balkans are increasingly becoming testbeds for new methods of information manipulation, cyber-interference and political influence, which can then be used against EU member states.
In this sense, the protection of democracy in the Balkans is not only seen as an interest of the candidate countries, but also as an investment in the political security of the European Union itself.
UPCOMING ELECTIONS, A TEST OF DEMOCRATIC RESISTANCE
An important part of the new strategy is related to the elections that will take place next year in some of the candidate countries. Brussels estimates that election periods are the moments when disinformation campaigns, the spread of fake news and attempts to influence citizens’ perceptions through digital platforms and Artificial Intelligence intensify. The new Center for Democratic Resilience is expected to provide technical support, expertise and coordination to national institutions, with the aim of guaranteeing safer and more transparent electoral processes.
THE CHALLENGE IS NOT ONLY WITH THE CANDIDATE COUNTRIES
However, Marta Kos acknowledged that the battle for enlargement is not only taking place in the Balkans. According to her, resistance to the admission of new members also exists within the European Union itself. She stressed that the European Commission has been launching an engagement campaign for a year in those countries where public support for enlargement is below 50 percent, with a particular focus on France. According to her, even if the candidate countries fulfill their obligations, the process may face political obstacles if public opinion in some member states remains skeptical of enlargement. The initiative to establish the Center for Democratic Resistance shows that the European Union is treating democratic security as an integral part of the accession process.
At a time when information warfare has become as important as traditional diplomacy, the protection of institutions, electoral processes and citizens’ trust is considered a key element for the success of enlargement. For the Western Balkan countries, including Albania, this means that the path to the EU will not be measured only by negotiation chapters and institutional reforms, but also by the ability to resist hybrid interventions, information manipulation and pressures aimed at undermining their strategic orientation towards the European family.