This seminar reimagines the Adriatic as a dense, globally entangled space where the European project is actively (re)negotiated.
Against this background, it examines EU accession in south-east Europe, challenging the notion of the region’s peripherality. In a period marked by polycrisis, geopolitical instability, intensified migration, and climate pressures, the Adriatic provides a critical yet understudied gateway to European cohesion.
Historically, the Adriatic was a zone of circulation and encounter, with Venetian, Ottoman, Habsburg, Yugoslav, and post-Cold War layers creating durable yet asymmetrical connectivities. The case study of Croatia takes these legacies as a framework for Europeanisation, more specifically the EU’s Connectivity agenda, revealing both the promise and the fragility of regional integration and infrastructure-driven development. The Adriatic emerges as a laboratory for Europe’s future: a space where plural integration, negotiated borders, and environmentally attuned governance are already being tested, offering insights for navigating Europe’s internal diversity, external pressures, and long-term transformations.
At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.