The European Neighbourhood Chair of the College of Europe in Natolin was pleased to organise its second panel discussion titled: "New Pact for the Mediterranean", within the Autumn Neighbourhood Days with Prof. Patrycja SASNAL, Prof. Peter VAN ELSUWEGE, and Prof. Adam ŁAZOWSKI.
The event focused on the recently launched European Commission’s initiative called Pact for the Mediterranean. It is a new strategy introduced by the European Commission to enhance the EU's relations with its Southern Mediterranean partners. It aims to create a Common Mediterranean Space that is integrated, resilient, and secure. This initiative is a response to the complex challenges faced by the region, including geopolitical instability and migration issues.
Autumn Neighbourhood Days aim to widen students’ knowledge on EU relations with its geographical neighbours. A series of four events will focus on the eastern, southern, western, and northern neighbours and how their relations with the European Union look at present and may develop in the foreseeable future. These events build on and complement the courses offered by the College of Europe in Natolin during the first semester.
About our speakers:
Prof. Patrycja SASNAL is a political scientist, Arabist and philosopher, specializing in politics in the Middle East, climate change and human rights, political violence and migration. She is Senior Professorial Fellow in the European Neighbourhood Chair at College of Europe in Natolin and Mentor of the Migration and Human Rights Nest. She is also visiting professor at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California Los Angeles.
She serves at the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Her report “The Impact of New Technologies for Climate Protection on Human Rights” was adopted by the Human Rights Council in 2023. Currently, she is rapporteur of the report on the impact of disinformation on the enjoyment of human rights to be presented to the Council in 2026.
Prof Peter VAN ELSUWEGE is professor of EU law and Jean Monnet Chair holder at Ghent University, where he is co-director of the Ghent European Law Institute (GELI). He is also visiting professor at the College of Europe (Natolin Campus) and board member of the Centre for the Law of EU External Relations (CLEER) at the Asser Institute in The Hague.
His research activities essentially focus on the law of EU external relations and EU citizenship. Specific attention is devoted to the legal framework of the relations between the European Union and its East European neighbours. He is, amongst others, the author of From Soviet Republics to EU Member States.
Prof. Adam ŁAZOWSKI is Visiting Professor and Chairholder of the European Neighbourhood Chair at the College of Europe in Natolin. He is a Professor of EU law at the Westminster Law School, University of Westminster as well as a Visiting Professor at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
His research focuses on EU pre-accession policy, EU External Relations, Internal Market, EU Criminal Law as well as withdrawal from the European Union.
At Natolin he teaches a course titled EU Enlargement Policy - Past and Present. The course looks at the history of EU Pre-accession Policy, its current shape, and future accessions.
These events build on and complement the courses offered by the College of Europe in Natolin during the first semester.