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The Softening and Hardening of EU Law and Policy Enforcement

Conference
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This two-day interdisciplinary conference features research in law, socio-legal studies, public policy, and governance. Expert authors analyse the evolving landscape of EU law and policy enforcement through the lens of ‘softening’ and ‘hardening’ from a conceptual, constitutional, procedural, and policy-area perspective. The contributions offer a comprehensive and dynamic view of how the enforcement landscape is shifting and of the implications of the change for national and EU institutions and the broader EU governance structure.

The conference is organised in cooperation with the Maastricht Centre for European Law. It is part of the scientific development process of a collective volume edited by Profs. Lilian Tsourdi and Matteo Bonelli in the framework of a a European Research Council Grant (PI: Lilian Tsourdi). 

You can find the full two-day programme below. It is also possible to follow the conference online.

Participation is free of charge, but please make sure to register in time via the green button on the right-hand side of the page. Registration is open until Thursday 4 June 2026.

Programme Tuesday 9th June

09:00 - 09:20 Registration 
09:20 - 09:30Brief welcome from the conveners
Lilian Tsourdi (Maastricht University) & Matteo Bonelli (Maastricht University)
09:30 - 10:30 

Conceptualising the Softening and Hardening of EU Law and Policy Enforcement
Chair: Monica Claes, Maastricht University

Contributions

  • Charting a Research Agenda on the Softening and Hardening of EU Law and Policy Enforcement, 
    Lilian Tsourdi (Maastricht University) & Matteo Bonelli (Maastricht University)
  • The Softening and Hardening of EU Law and Policy Enforcement: A EU Constitutional Law Perspective, 
    Bruno De Witte (Maastricht University) 
10:30 - 10:45 Coffee Break
10:45 - 12:45 

Softening and Hardening within Modalities of EU Law and Policy Enforcement (I) 
Chair: Ellen Vos, Maastricht University
 

  • The Infringement Procedure, 
    Pekka Pohjankoski (University of Turku)
  • Law and Policy Enforcement through EU Agencies, 
    Pauline El Khoury (Maastricht University) and Esther Versluis (Maastricht University)
  • Political Steering through the European Parliament, 
    Cristina Fasone (LUISS)
  • National Enforcement Authorities, 
    Filipe Brito Bastos (NOVA University Lisbon)
12:45 - 13:45 Lunch Break
13:45 - 15:45 

Softening and Hardening within Modalities of EU Law and Policy Enforcement (II) 
Chair: Fulvia Ristuccia, Maastricht University 

Contributions

  • The Enforcement of EU Law via National Courts, 
    Urszula Jaremba (University of Utrecht)
  • The Commission’s Direct Enforcement Powers, 
    Kati Cseres (UvA)
  • Monitoring, 
    Emma Pecqueux (Maastricht University) and Tamas Molnar (Fundamental Rights Agency)
  • The hybrid nature of conditionality: hardening and softening, 
    Matteo Bonelli (Maastricht University) and Jaime Luque Lora (Maastricht University) 
15:45 - 16:00 Coffee Break 
16:00 - 18:00 

The Softening and Hardening of Enforcement Across Policy Areas (I) 
Chair: Bruno De Witte, Maastricht University 

Contributions

  • The Softening and Hardening of Cohesion Policy Enforcement, 
    Maria Patrin (Hertie School of Governance)
  • The Softening and Hardening of Migration Enforcement, 
    Lilian Tsourdi (Maastricht University) and Andreina De Leo (Maastricht University)
  • The Softening and Hardening of Values Enforcement, 
    Martina Coli (University of Florence)
  • The Softening and Hardening of Environmental Law Enforcement, 
    Marijn van der Sluis (Maastricht University)
19:00Dinner for speakers & chairs 

Programme Wednesday 10 June

10:00 - 12:00 

The Softening and Hardening of Enforcement Across Policy Areas (II) 
Chair: Mariolina Eliantonio (Maastricht University) 

Contributions

  • The Softening and Hardening of Common Foreign and Security Policy Enforcement, 
    Francesca Finelli (Luxembourg School of Business)

  • The Softening and Hardening of EU Digital Law Enforcement, 
    Valentina Golunova (Maastricht University) and Sarah Tas (University of Maastricht)

  • The European Public Prosecutor as a Policy Enforcer, 
    Jacob Öberg (University of Southern Denmark)

  • Planning as a New Channel of Enforcement in EU Law, 
    Paul Dermine (Université libre de Bruxelles)
12:00 - 12:15 Brief closing from the conveners 
Lilian Tsourdi & Matteo Bonelli, Maastricht University 
12:15 - 13:00 Sandwich Lunch