The Institute of Development and International Relations (IRMO), in cooperation with the Faculty of Political Science of Zagreb University, organised a lecture on EU enlargement and differentiated integrations. This lecture was a part of the implementation of the Jean Monnet project “Learning by Doing: EU Standards in the Balkans” (EUlead).
The lecture worked towards the goal of the project which is to raise the level of awareness in Croatia about the EU and to strengthen the EU agenda in Croatia and the neighbouring region. The lecture was attended by a large group of students, members of the faculty, members of institutes and more. The focus of the lecture was on EU enlargement and differentiated integration, in particular the concepts of multi-speed Europe”, or rather, Europe “a la carte”. The topics were explored in an optimistic light, despite the current difficulties faced by the EU. Following the lecture was a period of question and answer, when the students and the rest of the audience was given the opportunity to further discuss the topic. The discourse was stimulating and interactive as many subjects were explored, including the implications of Brexit on differentiated integration, prospective further enlargement of the EU, the deepening of integration of current members and more.
In addition to the event, there was a closed meeting held with Prof Schimmelfennig, members of the faculty, and members of the institute, taking place prior to the lecture. The purpose of this meeting was knowledge sharing and exchange of expert experience, including exchange of best practice based on the various project implementations in the region and beyond, such as Constructing Europe’s Borders (2017-2020) coordinated by Prof Schimmelfennig and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Chair of European Politics at ETH Zurich.
