Geopolitical Challenges of the Eastern Enlargement of the EU

Programme

09:15 – 09:45

Welcome coffee and registration 

09:45 – 10:15

• Welcome address: Luis Vassy, Director, Sciences Po   
• High-level keynote address: Benjamin Haddad, Ministre délégué chargé de l’Europe  

10:15 – 11:45 Panel 1: Geopolitics and securitisation of enlargement – Consequences of (non)enlargement

This session will examine the geopolitical stakes of EU enlargement, focusing on its broader political and security implications – from strategic benefits to key challenges facing the Union’s expansion.

Speakers: 

• Opening input from Arancha González Laya, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain  
• Natia Seskuria, Executive Director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies (RISS), Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
• Jacques Rupnik, Research Professor Emeritus, Sciences Po Paris 
• Thornike Gordadze, Associated Researcher, Jacques Delors Institute, former State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Republic of Georgia, former Chief Negotiator for Georgia on the DCFTA negotiations with the EU  

Moderator: Anastasiya Shapochkina, President and founder at Eastern Circles geoeconomics think tank, Sciences Po Paris  

11:45 – 12:15

Coffee break

12:15 – 13:30 Panel 2: The benefits of the enlargement process – How to build resilience and learn from the past

This session will explore how sharing experiences between EU Member States and candidate countries can support enlargement – by drawing lessons from past accessions to build resilience, and by leveraging gradual integration to deliver tangible benefits and drive reform.  

Speakers:  

• Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, Senior Expert in EU Affairs, former Minister of EU Affairs, former Chief for accession to the EU, former National Coordinator for Pre-Accession Funds, Montenegro 
• Odeta Barbullushi, Resident Professor, College of Europe (Tirana campus), former Advisor on EU integration and Regional Cooperation, former Sherpa to the Prime Minister, Albania 
• Pierre Mirel, Advisor to the Jacques Delors Institute Grande Europe Centre, Honorary Director General at the European Commission 
• Hennadiy Maksak, Executive Director, Ukrainian Prism 

Moderator: Bojana Zorić, Research Analyst for Western Balkans, EUISS 

13:30 – 14:30

Lunch break

14:30 – 15:45 Panel 3: The Future of enlargement – A strategic roadmap until 2030 

This session will outline the way forward for EU enlargement, offering strategic recommendations to sustain momentum toward 2030 amid growing scepticism, uneven progress, and the need for stronger political leadership.  

Speakers:  

• Christian Lequesne, Full Professor, Sciences Po CERI • Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel, Greens Alliance 90 / The Greens party, former Member of European Parliament 2019-2024, Germany 
• Dragan Tilev, State Counsellor and coordinator of the Secretariat for EU affairs, North Macedonia  
• Tomáš Petříček, Member of the Board of Trustees, Associate Research Fellow, Center for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE), Sciences Po, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic   

Moderator: Romain Le Quiniou, Co-founder and Managing Director, Euro Créative