From a group of six in 1957, the European Union has since grown into a group of 28 diverse nation-states. As things now stand, the group is to be cut down for the first time due to Brexit and another critical enlargement is being bred. As external pressures mount, relations with key ally United States are strained and nationalist movements rise internally, French President Emmanuel Macron put forth a proposal on how to thrive forward.

In his 26 September 2017 speech in Paris, Macron asserted that “the Europe that we know is too slow, too weak, too ineffective; Europe’s problem is not a lack of public money, but a lack of reforms. (…) The only path that assures our future is the rebuilding of a Europe that is sovereign, united and democratic”.  It thus triggered restoring discussions on how the EU itself needs to reform before the Balkans enlargement takes place, which is in turn linked to how the relations of the six Balkan countries as future fellow Member States will affect the, as-of-yet anticipated, EU33.