Each guest lecture was attended by the guest lecturer and Dr. Xhaferri, who moderated the session and chaired an engaging Q&A face to face with students and colleagues.
News & Events
Thijs Reuten
The Geopolitical Necessity of the
EU Accession
The Member of the European Parliament, Thijs Reuten, gave a lecture for our Master students of the course ‘EU Enlargement and Europeanisation Policy’. He engaged in an insightful discussion with our students on the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, Moldova, and the wider region. Mr. Reuten also provided his perspectives on the complex political questions around the EU enlargement process in the Western Balkans. After the engaging lecture, students had the opportunity to directly connect with him in an informal networking environment.
The guest lecture was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
Jana van der Linden & Aleksandar Momirov
Dutch Position on EU Enlargement.
Janna van der Linden and Aleksandar Momirov gave an introduction to the EU enlargement methodology and illustrated how the enlargement process works in practice. They provided us with insights into how the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Representation and the Dutch Embassies in the Western Balkans region all closely work together on articulating the Dutch position in the negotiations and decision-making on Enlargement in the Council of the European Union.
The guest lecture was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
Dren Doli
Kosovo’s path to the European Union
The Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dr Dren Doli, delivered a guest lecture about Kosovo’s path to the European Union to students of the MA and BA course of the EnlargEU Jean Monnet Module.
Dr. Droli highlighted the role of the EU in Kosovo in State building, the EU-mediated Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue and the EU’s neutrality, and the challenges and dilemmas of Kosovo’s EU membership. The lecture was received well, followed by a Q&A session with the students.
The guest lecture was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
Liesbeth A. Campo
Is it time for more majority decision-making in EU foreign policy?
Drs. Liesbeth A Campo delivered a guest lecture to students of the BA course of the EnlargEU Jean Monnet Module. Drs. A Campo discussed the participation of the EU in international organisations, such as the UN, and then the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) as a substantive field of EU external relations. She delved into CFSP (EU missions and operations, participation and budgetary constraints), the Jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU, Decision-making within the CFSP (Voting rules; use of CFSP as a legal basis; Use of QMV for CFSP acts? Resorting to TFEU legal bases?)—lastly, Drs. A Campo engaged in a thought-provoking conversation about Treaty changes in EU foreign policy. She closed her talk with an open question: Is it time for more majority decision-making in EU foreign policy? The guest lecture was well received and followed by a Q&A session with the students and Dr. Zamira Xhaferri.
The guest talk was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
Olesia Kryvetska
EU External Relations: Common Commercial Policy
For the BA course (2024–25, February–March), Dr. Olesia Kryvetska, a Ukrainian-based lawyer specialised, delivered a guest lecture on international agreements, explaining the distinction between mixed and EU-only agreements with examples such as CETA and, in particular, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement sharing practical insights from her advisory role in the Ukrainian government.
The guest talk was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
H.E. Almir Šahović
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path to EU membership
For the MA course (2024–2025, February-March), H.E. Almir Šahović, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Netherlands, delivered a guest lecture (week 4) on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path to EU membership. He outlined the country’s constitutional framework, key milestones in its integration process, and the technical and political challenges shaping its accession prospects, offering students a diplomatic perspective on EU enlargement dynamics in the Western Balkans.
The guest talk was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
Elena Basheska
EU Enlargement and CFSP in Times of Threats and Bilateral Disputes
For the BA course (2023–24, April-May teaching block), Dr. Elena Basheska (post-doc researcher at the Central European University) delivered a guest lecture (week 5) on EU Enlargement and CFSP in Times of Threats and Bilateral Disputes. She discussed how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated enlargement dynamics and intertwined them with CFSP. Her lecture provided students with a perspective on how enlargement, bilateral disputes, and rule-of-law considerations interact in both the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe building on her research findings.
The guest talk was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
Liesbeth A. Campo
Participation of the EU in international organisations + CFSP
Dr. Liesbeth A. Campo (Legal Adviser, Netherlands PermRep to the EU) provided students with a guest lecture on “Participation of the EU in international organisations + CFSP”. Drs. Liesbeth A. Campo explained how the EU participates in international organisations and how the CFSP works in practice, focusing on EU competence and representation and key CFSP issues like restrictive measures, CSDP missions, and unanimity vs. QMV decision-making.
The guest talk was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
Dren Doli & Mike Hentges
Dynamics in US-EU transatlantic relations, and EU Enlargement
The Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dr Dren Doli, together with his colleague HE Mike Hentges, Ambassador of Luxemburg to the Netherlands, held a guest lecture at the University of Amsterdam. The discussion touched upon the future of transatlantic relation, EU strategic autonomy and EU enlargement process, especially towards the Western Balkans countries. The many questions and curiosities of the participating students contributed to making the lesson even more interactive.
The guest talk was convened and moderated by Dr. Z. Xhaferri.
