Day 2 of JMA 2025 – Another successful day at the Jean Monnet Summer Academy
Tbilisi, 26 August 2025 — Day 2 of the Jean Monnet Summer Academy, “EU Enlargement: Theory, Practice, and Contemporary Challenges,” brought deeper debate and sustained interaction at European University. The Academy is held under the module “European Union Enlargement: Past Lessons for Future Decisions” (EnlargEU — 101127859, 2023–2026), co-funded by the European Union and authored and led by Tatia Dolidze.
The morning sessions with Bidzina Lebanidze, Ph.D. (Head of Jena-Cauc Project, Institute of Caucasus Studies, University of Jena, Germany) examined the EU as a democracy-promoting actor, the NATO–EU synergy in enlargement, and enlargement as a security policy tool—linking democratic conditionality to resilience and exploring how coordinated EU–NATO approaches can reinforce stability and reforms.
In the afternoon, Steven Blockmans, Ph.D. (Visiting Professor, College of Europe—Bruges, Natolin and Tirana; Senior Research Fellow, CEPS, Brussels; Senior Fellow, ICDS, Tallinn, Belgium & Estonia) discussed the EU’s “two-speed” (staged) enlargement and then reviewed case studies on Turkey, Iceland, and Norway, illustrating distinct pathways ranging from long-term candidacy to close market participation without membership.
Tatia Dolidze, Ph.D. (Jean Monnet module coordinator; Associate Professor and Head of the IR programme, European University, Georgia) addressed the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)—clarifying that while ENP is not a legal route to accession, it can complement and, in practice, sometimes function as a supplement to enlargement by advancing regulatory convergence and sectoral integration. She closed the day with concluding remarks and the Day 2 quiz.
Participants remained highly engaged, with active Q&A and audience contributions across all sessions. The end-of-day quiz confirmed solid knowledge gains and helped consolidate key takeaways. The Academy continues with daily expert-led lectures by Georgian and European scholars.
