On November 5, 2025, Sarajevo hosted the 14th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, bringing together key stakeholders from across Europe. As part of the event, Priority Area 10 organised a Masterclass titled “Enlargement in Action: Civil Society and Municipalities Shaping the Future”. Overall, the session highlighted the vital role of local communities and civil society in driving EU enlargement and shaping a more inclusive future for the region.
To start the masterclass PA10 representatives presented results from the Danube Participation Day 2025, in form of twelve theses, and set those results into the context of EU Enlargement and academic findings. Furthermore, to aid the discussion, representatives from Centre of Public Administration Research (KDZ), the Centre for Civil Society Promotion and European Commission (DG REGIO) constituted the panel for this session.
When embarking on EU Enlargement negotiations, national government and institutions remain at the forefront. However, civil society organisations as well as cities/municipalities play a crucial role in the transformation of candidate countries. Civil society organisations empower citizens to engage in political and social life, advocate for democratic values, and ensure transparency and accountability, while fostering dialogue between public and private stakeholders. Cities and municipalities translate EU legislation into local actions, improve public services, and promote regional cooperation so that the benefits of EU enlargement reach citizens.
Thus, successful EU accession relies not only on implementing the acquis communautaire but also on the active participation and capacity of local authorities and civil society organisations. With this in mind the PA10 Masterclass to showcased and discussed the contributions of civil society organisations and municipalities to the EU enlargement process, as well as how their empowerment can be facilitated, and how macro-regional cooperation can support this endeavour.
