Conference
65th Leiden-London conference: Flexible EU membership amid geopolitical needs and legal constraints
- Date
- Friday 26 June 2026
- Time
- Location
-
Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden - Room
- Faculty Club
The conference will focus on recent developments in the EU’s enlargement policy and the growing need for flexibility in defining EU membership and in shaping the EU’s relationship with neighbouring countries, as well as on the implications of this flexibility on the internal coherence of the EU legal order. The speakers will explore the current state of affairs with regard to Ukraine, the Western Balkans, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and will reflect on how the EU’s evolving trajectory influences its legal framework in light of broader geopolitical dynamics and existing legal constraints.
Programme
9.15 Opening: Stefaan van den Bogaert (Europa Institute, Leiden University)
9.30 – 10.15 Keynote speech: Roman Petrov (National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy)
10.15 – 11.45 Panel 1: The external dimension: Flexible membership and relations with neighbouring countries
- Antoaneta Dimitrova (Leiden University)
- Narin Idriz (T.M.C. Asser Institute)
- Adam Lazowski (University of Westminster)
- Q&A
12.00 – 13.30 Lunch
13.30 – 15.00 Panel 2: The internal dimension: The impact of flexibility on the coherence of the EU legal order
- Antonios Antoniadis (Council Legal Service)
- Mielle Bulterman (Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- Maria Patrin (Jacques Delors Centre)
- Q&A
15.00 – 15.15 Closing
15.15 Drinks
Speakers
Antonios Antoniadis is Senior Legal Counsellor (Head of Unit equivalent) at the Council of the European Union and Visiting Professor at UC Louvain (Saint-Louis). His work focuses on EU law, including external relations and institutional matters, with extensive experience across European institutions and academia.
Mielle Bulterman is a senior legal expert in European law, currently serving as Head of the European Law Department at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has a long-standing connection to the Europa Institute and extensive experience in European legal affairs.
Antoaneta Dimitrova is Professor of Political Science at Leiden University, specializing in EU governance, enlargement and democratic backsliding. Her research examines the EU’s impact on political and institutional transformation in Central and Eastern Europe and its neighbourhood.
Narin Idriz is a researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Institute in The Hague within the strand ‘Human Dignity and Human Security in International and European Law’. She is an expert of EU enlargement law and of the EU's relations with neighbouring countries, especially Turkey.
Adam Łazowski is Professor of EU Law at the University of Westminster and Chairholder of the European Neighbourhood Chair at the College of Europe in Natolin. His research focuses on EU enlargement, external relations and the implications of Brexit.
Maria Patrin is a Marie Curie Fellow at the Jacques Delors Centre, specializing in EU institutional law and governance. Her research explores institutional balance and regulatory developments in the EU, including post-pandemic governance.
Roman Petrov is Professor and Head of the International and European Law Department at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where he also holds a Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law. His work focuses on EU law, external relations, regional integration and he regularly advises Ukrainian and European institutions.
Stefaan Van den Bogaert is Professor of European Law and Director of the Europa Institute at Leiden University. His expertise lies in EU internal market law, competition law and institutional aspects of the European Union, on which he has widely published.