During the academic year 2025/2026, the following seminar activities were carried out:
18 September 2025 – International Conference: A New Chapter of EU’s Enlargement?
The international conference A New Chapter of EU’s Enlargement? was organised within the Forum La proiezione internazionale dell’UE (PIUE) and the EUVALWEB Legal Observatory, in collaboration with AISDUE. The event examined the current state and future prospects of the EU enlargement process. Institutional greetings were delivered by Francesco Fasolino and Giuseppe D’Angelo, followed by an introduction by Teresa Russo. The conference featured leading experts in EU law, including Christophe Hillion, Marco Evola, Cristina Contartese and Anna Pau, with panel sessions chaired by Sara Poli and Maria Eugenia Bartoloni. The programme also included a debate among UNISA students and the presentation of research findings by the EUVALWEB Young Observers.
2 March 2026 – Seminars by Dr. Antonios Antoniadis on the EU Enlargement Process
On 2 March 2026, Dr. Antonios Antoniadis, Senior Legal Counsellor at the Legal Service of the Council of the European Union, delivered two seminars on the EU enlargement process. The first seminar, entitled “The Enlargement Process of the European Union: A Legal Perspective”, was held within the framework of the course External Relations of the EU taught by Prof. Sara Poli. It provided an in-depth legal analysis of the enlargement process, with particular attention to institutional dynamics, accession requirements, and the role of the rule of law in the EU’s enlargement policy.
The second seminar, entitled “The Enlargement Process of the European Union: A Step-by-Step”, was organised within the course European Union Law taught by Prof. Simone Marinai as part of the Master’s Degree in Law at the Department of Law. The seminar offered students a practical overview of the accession procedure, examining the different stages and legal mechanisms involved in joining the European Union.
9 March 2026 – Launch of the Podcast Open Talks on Enlargement
On 9 March 2026, the first episode of the podcast Open Talks on Enlargement, developed in collaboration with EU Law Live, was released. The inaugural episode featured Prof. Roman Petrov and focused on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, addressing both the legal and political dimensions of the accession process. The podcast series was created as an open forum for discussion with leading scholars and experts on EU enlargement, providing a platform for deeper reflection on the challenges and opportunities of future EU integration.
9 March 2026 – Seminar: Tackling Corruption in the Eastern Neighbourhood of the European Union
Within the framework of the course External Relations of the EU, Dr. Mihai-Razvan Corman, International Adviser for Public Sector Reform at GIZ Moldova, delivered a seminar entitled “Tackling Corruption in the Eastern Neighbourhood of the European Union”. The seminar explored the challenges of combating corruption in the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood, focusing on the Union’s anti-corruption objectives, existing capacity gaps, and the role of public sector reform in strengthening the rule of law and democratic governance.
23 March 2026 – Seminar: Ukraine and the European Union: From Conflict to Membership
On 23 March 2026, within the course External Relations of the EU, Dr. Stefano Grassi, Director for External Relations at the European Commission’s Secretariat-General, delivered a seminar entitled “Ukraine and the European Union: From Conflict to Membership”. The seminar examined the institutional perspective on Ukraine’s path towards EU membership, highlighting the challenges and opportunities connected with the country’s integration into the European Union.
26 March 2026 – Roundtable on EU Enlargement at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna
On 26 March 2026, Prof. Sara Poli, Chair Holder of the Jean Monnet Chair ENROL, participated in a roundtable discussion at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna focusing on the enlargement of the European Union. The discussion provided an opportunity to reflect on the prospects, challenges, and opportunities linked to the future of European integration, particularly in light of the current developments affecting the EU enlargement process.
27 March 2026 – Seminar: Hybrid Warfare and Disinformation
On 27 March 2026, the seminar “Hybrid Warfare and Disinformation” was organised by the Young European Federalists and the Alumni Association at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. The event addressed the challenges posed by hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns, analysing their impact on European security, democratic resilience, and the broader geopolitical context in which EU enlargement takes place.
25 May 2026 – Podcast Episode: Open Talks on Enlargement
On 25 May 2026, a new episode of the podcast series Open Talks on Enlargement, produced in collaboration with EU Law Live, was released. The episode featured Prof. Sara Poli in conversation with Dr. Luigi Lonardo and focused on the EU enlargement process, with particular attention to Montenegro and North Macedonia.
The discussion examined the evolution of EU enlargement policy and the current negotiation framework based on clusters developed by the European Commission, highlighting the central role of the rule of law, fundamental rights, and democratic governance in the accession process. Particular attention was devoted to safeguard clauses contained in accession treaties, which enable the European Union to monitor compliance with fundamental standards even after a country has joined the Union. The episode also explored the relationship between these mechanisms and Article 7 TEU, underlining the differences in their scope and legal effects.
The conversation further addressed the impact of bilateral disputes on accession dynamics, with specific reference to the case of North Macedonia, providing insights into the political and legal complexities affecting the enlargement process.
25 June 2026 – Workshop: Autonomy as an EU Structural Principle
On 25 June 2026, Prof. Sara Poli participated in the workshop “Autonomy as an EU Structural Principle”, organised at the Department of Law of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli on the occasion of the launch of Prof. Cristina Contartese’s book The Principle of Autonomy in EU External Relations Law (Kluwer/CEDAM, 2025).
Prof. Poli contributed to the discussion with a presentation entitled “Associate Member State: A Threat to the Autonomy of the EU Legal Order?”. The workshop brought together leading scholars and judges to discuss the principle of autonomy as one of the fundamental constitutional principles shaping the European Union legal order and its external relations. The event provided an opportunity for an in-depth exchange of views on the evolving role of autonomy in EU law and its implications for the Union’s external action.
