Jean Monnet EURISGA Chair delivered Keynote at European Parliament

On 24 June 2026, Professor Joachim Koops, Jean Monnet Chair on the European Union’s Role in Security and Global Affairs (EURISGA) and Professor of Security Studies at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs at Leiden University was invited by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament to deliver a keynote address to the Interparliamentary Committee Meeting.

The Interparliamentary Committee brings together more than 50 members of national parliaments from the EU Member States and enlargement countries to exchange views with members of the European Parliament. The overarching themes of the meeting focused on ‘seizing the momentum in the enlargement process’ and ‘the role of parliaments in progressing EU accession’.

Professor Koops’ keynote “The Role of Parliaments in Progressing European Union Accession: Taking Values Seriously” focused on the importance of the role of national parliaments and the European parliament in safeguarding democratic values and the protection and defence of human rights as a cornerstone of the EU’s enlargement process. Enlargement cannot just be framed in terms of geopolitical necessities, but if it is to remain one of the EU’s historically most successful foreign policy tools, then the EU and its member states must do better internally and externally in upholding and defending the rule of law and democratic values. Professor Koops reviewed the progress many enlargement countries have made, despite complex and existential challenges, such as in the case of Ukraine and Moldova. Parliaments must continue to reform and be responsive to citizen needs and civil society. However, Professor Koops also stressed that recent backsliding on core values – particularly by EU institutions and EU member states – such as the defence of human rights, international humanitarian law, development policies and the protection of civilians and the vulnerable in conflict zones endangers the credibility and legitimacy of the EU project itself. If the EU fails to live up to its values, particularly when it comes to the prevention of atrocities and genocide, then the European integration project will not only lose its attractiveness, but its own foundations at its core. The lecture outlines what policy-makers and parliamentarians, in cooperation with a strong civil society must focus on now to advance enlargement and defend democracy and human rights – both internally and around the globe.

For more information, you can visit the AFET Committee Page of the European Parliament, here.

You can watch the keynote speech, here.