Project acronym: GEO-POWER-EU

Project duration: 1 June 2024 – 31 May 2027

Project сoordinator from ONU: email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project goals and specific tasks: Starting in and continuing for three years, a consortium of 14 partner institutions has embarked on the “GEO-POWER-EU: Empowering the Geopolitical EU in the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans” project, funded by the European Union’s H2020 Research and Innovation programme.

In the wake of the war in Ukraine, the European Union has moved to enhance its geopolitical influence beyond its immediate borders, particularly in the Western Balkans (WB) and Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. This shift underscores an urgent need to bolster the EU’s strategic thinking and actions. Consequently, GEO-POWER-EU is based on the premise that the EU’s enlargement and Eastern neighbourhood policies require revision to reflect a new geopolitical vision for these regions.

The primary objective of the GEO-POWER-EU project is to enhance the security dimension of the EU’s policies in the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans. The project aspires to develop a comprehensive EU strategy for these regions, taking into consideration foresight concerning the strategic ambitions of other geopolitical actors. GEO-POWER-EU will:

• propose ideas for the adaptation of the EU Enlargement policy and the reform Eastern Partnership policy
• assess the influence of other geopolitical actors and provide strategic foresight about the prospects of geopolitical competition in the two regions
• explore the growth of the EU’s ability to contain military threats
• propose a comprehensive and multidimensional EU strategy that will guide relations with the countries in the Western Balkans and the Eastern neighborhood.

Project Partners

• University of the Peloponnese, Greece (Project Coordinator)
• Southeast European Research Center (SEERC), Greece
• European Neighbourhood Council (ENC), Belgium
• University of Bologna, Italy
• The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW), Austria
• University of Rijeka / Academy of Applied Arts of the University of Rijeka, Croatia
• Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis, North Macedonia
• University of Belgrade, Serbia
• VE Insight, Austria
• Democratization Policy Council (DPC), Germany
• Institutul pentru Dezvoltare și Inițiative Sociale (IDIS) Viitorul, Moldova
• Odesa Mechnikov National University, Ukraine
• Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS), Georgia
• Utrikespolitiska Institutet, Sweden

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you want to know more about GEO-POWER-EU, check for updates on the project’s social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Soundcloud, YouTube.