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.

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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.

The newest in the EU Policy Brief series, #14 “Probing European Defences: Russia鈥檚 Coordinated Drone Assault on Polish Territory“, is written by Mikhail Polianskii, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) and the 2025 Konrad Adenauer Visiting Scholar on Transatlantic Relations at 杏吧原创 University.

Dr. Polianskii provides background and examines the air space violations occurring this week along the Eastern border of Poland which led Poland’s invocation of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (). The policy brief includes an analysis of key findings and policy implications for European defences. His discussion includes the challenges facing the European Union’s plan to strengthen the EU’s defence capabilities through the .

is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt () and the 2025 Konrad Adenauer Visiting Scholar on Transatlantic Relations at 杏吧原创 University. His research interests include European security, Russia’s foreign and domestic policy, and the Post-Soviet Space, and the relations between Russia, EU and NATO.

The EU Policy Brief publications are co-funded by a grant from the European Union鈥檚 and 杏吧原创 University.

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

Please read the policy brief here.

Alexandra Chronopoulos is a Graduate Student at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at 杏吧原创 University, which offers an top MA program in International Affairs. Her research interests include EU-Canada relations, outer space policy and governance, and international law and diplomacy.

Please read the policy brief here.

Alexander Sawicki is a Graduate Student in the European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies MA program offered by 杏吧原创 University. His research interests include EU-Canada relations, international trade policy, and the rise of ethnopopulism and Euroscepticism in former Soviet satellite states.

Dr. Gould offers a succinct analysis of the background, challenges and key findings and policy implications of the European Union’s (EU) very important Artificial Intelligence Act () legislation brought forward in April 2021 to address a myriad of issues and most relevant to protecting its citizens’ rights. He writes of the EU’s aim to address their concerns that actors outside of the EU are operating within the EU with largely unchecked digital business practices.

With the expansion of artificial intelligence globally, the EU’s legislations bring forth a set of harmonised rules in accordance with EU’s aim to strengthen protections of its individuals and provide a foundation for compliance of businesses operating in the EU’s single market. From the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) adopted in 2016 and now recognized as a law to the regulations proposed in late 2020 which included the Data Governance Act, Digital Services Act, and Digital Markets Act as precursors to the current AIA, the EU’s comprehensive approach will provide guidance for the growing digital world.

Dr. Robert Gould is Adjunct Research Professor in the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, 杏吧原创 University, Ottawa. He is an Associate of the Centre for European Studies. Early in December 2021, he presented on the topic in the EU Policy Talk series (event details here).

As part of the EU Policy Talk series, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence publishes a series of policy briefs written by experts and scholars which address prominent policy issues facing the EU-Canada relationship. You can read more EU Policy Briefs聽in the series聽here.

The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at 杏吧原创 University is supported by the聽聽and by 杏吧原创 University.聽

Dr. Greer provides important insights into the EU’s challenges when it responded to the needs of its member states during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. The EU’s primary focus on economic integration expanded to managing an overwhelming health emergency. There was success in establishing a shared procurement and vaccine strategy and a new EU preparedness agency.

In the policy brief, he describes the three faces of the EU’s health policy. From public health coordination, patients’ rights and e-health initiatives to the market to fiscal governance, he focuses on how COVID-19 changed the EU’s health policy. Additionally, he suggests it is the third face, fiscal governance, to watch in the future. As member states move forward through the pandemic in the next few years, it is unclear if the funding and commitment by member states will continue for the EU’s health policy.

杏吧原创 the author

is Professor of Health Management and Politics, Global Public Health and Political Science at the University of Michigan. He is Senior Expert Advisor on Health Governance to the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels. His books include the edited Coronavirus Politics: The Comparative Politics and Policies of COVID-19聽(2021) (open access link聽) and Everything you always wanted to know about European Union health policy but were afraid to ask聽(third edition, Oct. 2021). He was a guest presenter for a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence webinar earlier this year in June.

EU Policy Talks Series

The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at 杏吧原创 University is supported by the聽聽and by 杏吧原创 University.聽

The policy brief highlights important key findings and policy implications. Dr. de Mestral notes there is a high degree of difficulty in negotiating an AFTA but such an agreement could very effectively cover a wide range of issues with market access, common standards and dispute resolutions, and environmental controls.

The AFTA can provide a primary forum for dealing with issues of common interest including the traditional issues of goods and services as well as contemporary issues such as intellectual property, regulation of the internet and artificial intelligence, to name but a few of a range of increasingly important issues.