The 20th DRC Summer School on Regional Cooperation took place in Vienna the capital of Austria. The theme for 2025 was "Navigating the Future of EU Enlargement". The Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) hosted the event. Participants not only met with guests and experts, but also presented their own research and engaged in group discussions and workshops. It focused on the developments of the European Union enlargement, going from its geopolitical implications to its consequences on EU institutions and initiatives. To discuss these issues, the summer school gathered a diverse group of 16 young students and scholars together: in total, they represented 11 countries from the Danube Region and beyond (Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom) as well as many different disciplines, ranging from political science and history to media studies and public policy. 

The summer school programme was centred on four general topics related to EU enlargement:  

•  Shifting Geopolitical Realities 
•  Rethinking Enlargement 
•  Engaging Citizens 
•  Growing sustainably 

On Sunday evening, 6 July, a welcome dinner inaugurated the DRC Summer School 2025. The participants had the opportunity to get to know each other and learn about what motivated them to apply for the summer school. Then, with great expectations for the following week, on the first day, the participants were welcomed to the IDM by Sebastian Schäffer, Director of the Institute and General Secretary of the DRC, and Sophia Beiter, IDM Research Associate and Charlemagne Prize Fellow.

They expressed their gratitude to the participants for attending the event in Vienna and introduced the issues that would be discussed during the summer school. After a presentation of the IDM and the DRC, a round of personal introductions with the participants followed. Together with Francesco Danieli, IDM Research Assistant, they wished the participants a fruitful week, both as an opportunity to learn more about EU enlargement and related issues, and, most importantly, as an occasion to create friendships and a network for future collaborations.

After the opening ceremony, Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, former Prime Minister of Romania, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and former Director of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service, delivered his keynote lecture on maximizing the European Union's integration capacity. The second lecture, which concluded the morning, was given by Zoltán Vörös, Associate Professor at the University of Pécs. With the title “EU in the International Arena,” his presentation described the current shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world and the challenges the EU faces. After lunch, the participants visited Erlebnis Europa Wien, where they enjoyed a two-hour simulation of the European Parliament, encompassing all aspects of the Member of Parliament role, from participating in the general debate to engaging in dialogue with stakeholders and citizens. After that, the group took a walk through Vienna's city centre to explore the history and landmarks of the Austrian capital. In the evening, they arrived at Gitti's Heuriger, one of Vienna’s traditional wine taverns, where they could taste typical Viennese food.

The following day, on Tuesday, July 8, the participants returned to the IDM conference room for a new lecture, this time presented by Professor Visnja Vukov from the University of Vienna. Her presentation analysed the economic landscape of Eastern Europe, examining the role of the EU in its development and comparing the situation of EU member states with that of candidate countries. Then, there was the first session of the workshop “Citizens' Views on the Future of EU Enlargement” organised by Sophia Beiter in collaboration with Malwina Talik and Rebecca Thorne (IDM Research Associates) in the context of her Charlemagne Prize fellowship project. The participants, divided into three focus groups, were asked to discuss their ideal vision for the future European Union in 2035 with a special focus on EU enlargement and citizen engagement. After lunch, three participants started the first round of presentations of their own research throughout the Participants Panel. Marta Beska analysed how enlargement became a strategic necessity for the European Union after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Vittoria Prestifilippo, instead, proposed rethinking the EU’s strategic response to Russian use of disinformation as a tool for information warfare. Finally, Lisa Sophie Jochens shared her comparative analysis of the rule of law in Hungary in 2004 and Serbia in 2024, explaining the implications the current situation has for Serbia´s accession process to the EU.

The discussion of these three research studies was followed by an intervention from IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer, who shared his perspective on the necessary reforms for EU enlargement with the participants. The afternoon ended with three more presentations from our participants. Helena Stolnik Trenkic critically assessed the concept of “Democratic Pull Phenomenon” and discussed instrumentalisation and unintended consequences of EU enlargement in (former) Yugoslavia. Katarina Grkovic remained in the area to present on the role of collective memory in shaping the EU's approach to stabilitocracies in the Balkans. The last presentation by Gabriel Fernández Alonso was centered on the externalization of EU migration governance through enlargement conditionality in the Western Balkans, with a specific focus on Montenegro.

Wednesday, 9 July, began with a trip to the Donau-Auen National Park. Accompanied by national park rangers, the participants explored the Danube in a chaika, a replica of a historic ship that has sailed on the river for centuries. Afterwards, they got to know the flora and fauna of the Danube floodplains during a walk through the park's forest. In the afternoon, the participants returned to IDM. They had two lectures waiting for them: first, Teresa Stummer introduced IDM partner ARGE Donauländer and its work, and then Natascha Borozan did the same for the City of Vienna International Offices. This way, participants could gain insight into the work of institutions and organizations that practically implement initiatives related to EU enlargement through their activities.

On Thursday, 10 July, the day began with another practitioner, Katarina Pacher, who explained her role as Public Relations Officer of the EU Parliament Liaison Office in Austria, with a focus on fostering citizen participation in EU democracy. The discussion continued in the second part of the workshop, “Citizens' Views on the Future of EU Enlargement”, in which the participants finalized their vision for a desirable future for the European Union. The afternoon followed the same questions. First, three new presentations from our participants touched on the process of democratisation and democratic engagement in the EU and the candidate countries. Ahmet Ilhan Kaplan worked on the consolidation of stabilitocracies through the EU enlargement, with particular attention to the case of Serbia; Mishel Mita proceeded with his research on youth political attitudes and civic participation in Albania, on the country’s path to EU membership; finally, Alexander Dimitrov exposed the value that EU simulations can have in explaining the structure and the functioning of the European Union, while engaging the participants in its democratic process. After the discussion, the last presentation of the day was delivered by another guest, Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law & Policy at HEC Paris. He started with the question “How can citizens make the EU responsive to their aspirations and needs?” and shared his ideas and insights on the issue with the participants.

Friday, 11 July, was the final full day of activities for this year’s Summer School. The morning was reserved for a meeting with the Energy Community. At the organisation's premises, its team provided an overview of the Energy Community's work, followed by two talks on the role of renewables in addressing energy and environmental challenges during the enlargement process, and the issues of ensuring a just transition while addressing energy poverty. Thomas Waitz, a Member of the European Parliament and Head of the Austrian delegation in the Greens/EFA Group, joined us at the end of the morning for an insightful conversation on the role of the European Union and enlargement in this time of geopolitical crisis. In the afternoon, Rebecca Thorne led the participants through an interactive session, in which they could choose to prepare a video or write a proposal on the environmental aspect of the enlargement.

After that, the last trio of participants’ presentations closed the academic section of the summer school. Ioannis Voskidis demonstrated through his study how Russian and Chinese energy investments influence the harmonization of the EU energy acquis in Serbia. Giannis Ilkos followed by explaining how the European Media Freedom Act contributes to forging democratic resilience in candidate states. To conclude, Mikhaella Bunda moved our focus to a specific case study, presenting Georgia’s path to the European Union.

As the day came to an end, the organisers, Sophia Beiter and Francesco Danieli, delivered their closing remarks, thanking all participants for contributing to making this year’s edition unique. Following their words of appreciation, the attendees received their certificates of participation, serving as a well-deserved recognition of their involvement. They were also reminded that they can submit their final papers to be published in an upcoming issue of the IDM’s scientific journal “Der Donauraum.” In the evening, everyone enjoyed a farewell party before returning home on Saturday.

The DRC and IDM team was delighted with the enthusiastic support and active engagement of the participants, speakers, and guests. A big thank you goes to all sponsors, namely the Charlemagne Prize Academy, the Federal Government of Lower Austria, the Federal Government of Upper Austria, the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna, the Working Community of the Danube Regions, and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, who made the 20th edition of the DRC Summer School a huge success. A heartfelt thank you also to our guests and lecturers for their willingness to share their insightful perspectives on the present and future of Europe. The IDM trainee, Marie Bourgeois, and the IDM Research Assistant, Julia Mits, deserve a word of thanks for their support in ensuring the smooth organization and implementation of the summer school.

Last but not least, the project would not have been possible without Sophia Beiter and Francesco Danieli, who were responsible for conceptualizing, coordinating, and implementing the entire summer school. The event successfully achieved its aim of creating a friendly and encouraging environment for young researchers to thrive in, connect, and exchange ideas and opinions on current pressing issues, and further develop their research results. The DRC and IDM team hopes to be able to welcome such a diverse and progressive group of young researchers again in 2026.