Membership in the European Union is still a desirable goal amongst its near and distanced neighbours. It promises prosperity, economic participation, free movement and safety. The last aspect in particular has significantly gained in importance through the Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine. 10 states are currently official accession candidates, among them the Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. However, an EU enlargement is not only associated with chances, there are also great political challenges, no least within the Union itself.

Following a short welcoming address by the State Secretary representing Bremen at federal and EU level, Dr. Olaf Joachim, Professor Dr. Christian Calliess will discuss how to prepare the European Union for an enlargement while preventing over-expansion and disintegration. It is important not only to preserve but to considerably improve the European Union’s ability to act. The lecturer will outline a new architecture of the European Union, with a core union grouped around the internal market and based on the principle of subsidiarity, which only at first glance appears to contradict the objective of an “ever closer union” of Art. 1 TFEU.

After the lecture, Prof. Dr. Christian Calliess will enter into a discussion with the Head of the Department “Europe, International Cooperations and Development Cooperation” of the Bremen Senate Office, Tanja Baerman. The event will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Pia Lange.

About the lecturer: Prof. Dr. Christian Calliess is Professor of Public Law and European Law at Freie Universität Berlin (since 2008) and hold an Ad Personam Jean-Monnet professorship. From 2015 to October 2018 he was on leave to act as a legal adviser of the European Political Strategy Center (EPSC) of the President of the European Commission and also head of the institutional team, working on the subjects “future scenarios” (White Paper) and “EU reform”, “migration policy”, “union for security”, “Brexit”, “innovation and better regulation” and “subsidiarity”.