EU Policy Brief #18, 鈥淔rozen Conflicts in the EU鈥檚 Neighborhood: Enlargement With or Without De Facto States?鈥�, written by Professor Magdalena Dembi艅ska, Universit茅 de Montr茅al (May 2026), provides an analysis of the European Union (EU) offering candidate status to Moldova and Georgia despite each country having unresolved territorial conflicts with its borders.

Professor Dembinska discusses two regions – Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, and Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria. She considers each of these ‘de-facto states’ to have security risks and challenges for EU enlargement. While the accession progresses at various speeds, she argues both Abkhazia and Transnistria are practicing ‘strategic hedging’ but are largely differing in their strategies to fulfill joining the EU while continuing relations with Russia. Professor Dembinska shares her key findings and policy implications for the EU’s integration of both people and territories with the enlargement process.

The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence publishes a series of EU Policy Briefs from experts and scholars which address prominent policy issues facing the EU-Canada relationship.

Read more in the EU Policy Briefs Series here.

The European Commission鈥檚 support for the production of these publications does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Jean Monnet activities are co-funded by the and by 杏吧原创 University

EU Policy Brief Series #17

This new EU Policy Brief, “The RN in Power: Lessons from Perpignan for French National Politics”, EU Policy Brief #17, written by Liam Nohr (杏吧原创 University), May 2026, analyzes how the RN (Rassemblement National), France’s dominant far-right populist party, has governed since winning the mayoralty of Perpignan in 2020. Read the policy brief here.

He discusses the governance of the municipality as it is the largest city ever controlled by the RN and provides important insights for French and European politics. With the most recent municipal elections in March 2026, Perpignan voters again re-elected the incumbent RN mayor for another six years. Ahead of the 2027 presidential election year, understanding how the RN continues its authority in Perpignan is important.

is postdoctoral fellow with Centre Norbet Elias, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and he is a member of the ACE Project (Ancestral Citizenship in Europe), funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.

The Centre for European Studies Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at 杏吧原创 University organized this interview as part of the EU Policy Video Series. Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence activities are co-funded by the and by 杏吧原创 University.

Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or 杏吧原创 University. Neither the European Union nor 杏吧原创 University can be held responsible for them.

is a widely published scholar of global governance, international and EU law, human rights, international organizations, and corporate law. He is Full Professor of International Law and International Organizations at KU Leuven in Belgium, where he serves as Jean Monnet Chair ad personam in EU and Global Governance, Founding Director of the Institute for International Law and the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, and Administrator of the America Europe Fund. He has led several collaborative transatlantic research initiatives, including most recently the , in which 杏吧原创 University is a member. He has published more than 85 books, 165 journal articles,聽and 300 book chapters.

During his visiting scholarship at 杏吧原创 University, Professor Wouters plans to conduct research on the law and politics of transatlantic relations in the Trump era. He will teach a class (EURR 4201/5201) on 鈥淗uman Rights and the Rule of Law: American, Canadian and European Perspectives鈥�. He will contribute to public events and other outreach initiatives planned by the Centre for European Studies and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. His visit to 杏吧原创 University will strengthen our existing research expertise and international connections in the area of transatlantic relations and will help maximize the benefits of 杏吧原创鈥檚 involvement in the TANDEM project.

In this interview, the researchers discuss key elements of navigating an increasingly fragmented global economy where economic security cuts across many areas of government policy, from critical infrastructure and cybersecurity to the impact on businesses and global supply chains, and provide insights about the importance of Canada鈥檚 continued development of a comprehensive economic security strategy. They provide their thoughts about how Canada and the EU can coordinate economic security together and offer key recommendations for strengthening Canadian economic security.

The interview draws upon their published paper, , with , March 2026.

The Centre for European Studies Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at 杏吧原创 University organized this interview as part of the聽EU Policy Video Series. Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence activities are co-funded by the聽聽and by 杏吧原创 University.

Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or 杏吧原创 University. Neither the European Union nor 杏吧原创 University can be held responsible for them.

She discusses Europe鈥檚 rapid shift away from Russian energy and the most significant policy changes and the 鈥減olicy entrepreneurs鈥� who used the crisis to accelerate climate reforms at both the EU and national levels. Next, Dr. Schreurs examines Russia鈥檚 deepening energy ties with China to bypass sanctions and what that means for Europe鈥檚 growing dependence on China for clean-energy technologies and the critical minerals behind them.

Dr. Schreurs also compares Canada and Germany, including the roles of federalism and EU climate legislation, and offers ways to overcome 鈥渇ossil fuel legacies鈥� without sparking major backlash or disruption. The interview closes by discussing how rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainty in the transatlantic partnership are shaping energy policy in Europe and Canada.

The Centre for European Studies Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at 杏吧原创 University organized this interview as part of the EU Policy Video Series. The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence activities are is co-funded with a grant from the and by 杏吧原创 University.

Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or 杏吧原创 University. Neither the European Union nor 杏吧原创 University can be held responsible for them.

The maximum amount of financial support which a graduate student may receive is $1200 to assist with partially covering travel and research expenses. Research must be conducted in the EU member states to be considered for financial support by the selection committee and can be combined with other activities such as a student study exchange, the EU Study Tour or a language course.

More details about the application and the materials to submit can be found here. The deadline to submit application materials is no later than Sunday, February 22, 2026.

Please note: Travel research financial support is conditional on the travel being permitted under the application of travel rules issued by 杏吧原创 University, the Government of Canada and the government of the destination EU member state at the time of travel.

Read written reports by graduate students about their travel and research completed in previous years here.

Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence activities are co-funded by the and by 杏吧原创 University.