The European Union's enlargement process has entered a more volatile phase as pressure mounts to fast-track membership for Ukraine and Western Balkan nations, with critics warning the rush could undermine the bloc's cohesion. Ukraine's peace plan envisions EU membership as early as 2027, prompting the European Commission to develop multiple scenarios for how to absorb new members while member states scramble to propose competing frameworks. A senior German official captured the ambivalence driving the debate, describing enlargement as 'a tool — it's not very popular but it's a geopolitical necessity,' highlighting the tension between political urgency and inadequate preparation for a bloc that currently has ten candidate countries in its accession queue.