| There seems to be a broad consensus among EU countries that enlargement has become a geopolitical necessity. However, the corresponding discussion on reforming the bloc before admitting new members never seems to get off the ground – and Germany is partly to blame. If you listen to German politicians these days, it would seem that the reform of the EU is already well underway. In yesterday’s Europe conference in Berlin, the host, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, stated that there would be a “once-in-a-lifetime momentum” for enlargement and simultaneous reform. “Getting bigger does not automatically mean getting stronger. We can only achieve this with reforms that strengthen our structures and our foundations within the EU. It is good that we have now initiated this reform debate,” she told the Berlin conference. The German Minister for European Affairs, Anna Lührmann, was even more confident, stating that among EU countries, there is a “consensus that the EU has to reform”. A recent declaration following the informal meeting of the European heads of state and government in Granada last month mentioned EU reform but did not specify what this reform should entail. “The Union needs to lay the necessary internal groundwork and reforms,” the document said, leaving ample room for interpretation. Of course, from a German perspective, this vague commitment already seems like a big win. After all, the German government has tried to establish itself as one of the key advocates of reform ever since the new government entered office two years ago. | 