The ICJP-CIDP, the European Institute and Iuris (Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon) organised, between February 5 and March 4 this year, a Preparation Course for the Diplomatic Career Entrance Exam, under the coordination of Professors Maria Luísa Duarte, Jaime Valle, Pedro Caridade de Freitas, Eduardo Paz Ferreira, Nuno Cunha Rodrigues and Tiago Fidalgo de Freitas.

José Luís da Cruz Vilaça, founding partner of CVA, taught the module "The current challenges facing the European Union". Professor Cruz Vilaça started by addressing the three challenges of 2020 (the euro currency crisis, the migration crisis and Brexit), and then analysed the Covid-19 pandemic and the new challenges facing the Union (the war in Ukraine, the EU enlargement, the rule of law, EU external action and defence, the climate and energy transition, and the digital transition and artificial intelligence).

With regard to EU enlargement, José Luís da Cruz Vilaça believes that "the challenge facing Europe from the point of view of enlargement is not confined to the admission of Ukraine and Moldova (which is a geopolitical imperative, but cannot be done in a hurry or in any way), but rather has a much more significant dimension and heterogeneity. We need to reflect on its institutional implications in a context that could potentially encompass 36 or 37 countries, a number for which the institutions were not designed. We therefore need to think seriously about the institutional implications and adaptations that will be necessary in a supranational structure that is constantly being tested".

As for the rule of law, José Luís da Cruz Vilaça reflected on what is at stake: "above all the independence of the judiciary, but also the freedoms of expression and assembly, the principle of equality and non-discrimination or the protection of the Union's financial interests against fraud and acts of corruption".