This week Ivan Vejvoda is joined by Johns Hopkins University - School of Advanced International Studies adjunct professor and former foreign policy advisor to the Romanian presidential administration Veronica Anghel to discuss the state of EU enlargement policy in 2023. As the continent redefines itself, its security and its long-term objectives in the shadow of the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, what is the state of play for candidate countries seeking to join the European Union? Will this prove to be a moment when the expansion of the EU's border to encompass Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans - a project that many considered stalled -can be revived? How have the requirements for entry and justification for enlargement changed since the fall of communism in the early 90s? Are unresolved border questions and the rise of right wing populism affecting the way that the EU27 approaches these questions? Veronica Anghel is a Lecturer in Risk in International Politics and Economics at Johns Hopkins University and a Visiting Fellow at the European University Institute EUI. She has held research fellowships at several institutions, including Stanford University and the Institute for Central Europe. She is a 'Robert Elgie' Editorial Fellow with the 'Government and Opposition' journal. Dr. Anghel received her PhD from the University of Bucharest in co-direction with the University of Bordeaux. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Anghel has served as a foreign affairs advisor for the Romanian Presidential Administration and a Diplomatic Adviser for the Romanian Senate. She provides risk analysis for consultancy firms on topics such as European integration and rule of law issues in post-communist Europe. In 2020, Dr. Anghel was awarded the ‘Rising Star’ Award by the European Consortium of Political Research. She is a Europe's Futures fellow at IWM this year.