Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development - CCSDD

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The CCSDD conducts research and training in the field of comparative constitutional law, focusing on

The CCSDD is a research partnership between the Faculty of Law of the University of Bologna and SAIS Europe in Bologna, Italy. The CCSDD conducts research and training in the field of comparative constitutional law, focusing on countries undergoing processes of democratic transition. Through conferences, workshops, publications, study trips, and speaker series, the CCSDD addresses issues of civil society development and legal reform. The center’s current research focuses on the enlargement of the EU, contemporary political and constitutional transformations in North Africa and the Middle East, and electoral management bodies in transitional countries. Each year, the center conducts a number of programs including the “European Union and Legal Reform” Summer School in Montenegro, the Sarajevo Study Trip, and the CCSDD Lecture Series.

29/09/2026

📰 CCSDD News | ASN European Conference 2026

Dr. Marko Milenković, CCSDD Affiliated Research Fellow, presented the paper “EU Accession Conditionality and Constitution-Making: The Case of North Macedonia” at the ASN European Conference Reconfiguring National Identities amid Multiple Crises, held at the University of Belgrade from 18 to 20 September 2026.

The paper is a joint work by CCSDD Director Justin O. Frosini, Marko Milenković, and Angelina Cvetkovska, a CCSDD-affiliated researcher. It examines how bilateral disputes concerning identity, heritage, and history have become incorporated into North Macedonia’s EU accession process and translated into formal requirements for constitutional reform.

The research was conducted within the project Europeanisation and Legal Reforms in the Western Balkans, led by Dr. Milenković at CCSDD and supported by the Sir Richard May Programme. It contributes to the project’s broader examination of EU conditionality, institutional reform, and the legal and constitutional challenges of enlargement in the Western Balkans.

23/09/2026

✍️ CCSDD researcher Carna Pistan has published a new piece on Verfassungsblog, “A Graveyard for Europeanisation. Mladić’s Hero Burial in Belgrade and Serbia’s Unresolved Past.”

📖 The piece examines the public burial and glorification of former Bosnian Serb military commander and convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade, placing the event within the broader politics of memory in Serbia and the country’s Europeanisation process.

Carna explores what Mladić’s burial reveals about the persistence of competing memories of the wars of the 1990s, the limits of international criminal justice for reconciliation, Serbia’s failure to implement international standards on memorialization, and the tensions between Serbia’s European integration and its unresolved past.

🔗 Read the full piece on Verfassungsblog: https://verfassungsblog.de/a-graveyard-for-europeanisation/

21/09/2026

🟦 CCSDD News | UACES 2026 Annual Conference in Prague

Dr. Marko Milenković, CCSDD Affiliated Research Fellow, participated in the UACES 2026 Annual Conference, held in Prague from 7 to 9 September, where he presented the paper “Reconceptualising EU Enlargement through Differentiated Integration: Challenges and Opportunities of Multi-Circle EU Membership.”

The presentation examined differentiated integration as a possible legal and institutional response to the current challenges of EU enlargement, focusing particularly on decision-making, competences, accountability and representation within possible models of multi-circle EU membership. Dr. Milenković presented results of research conducted within Europeanisation and Legal Reforms in the Western Balkans, supported by the Sir Richard May Programme.
Dr. Milenković also co-chaired, together with Professor László Szegedi of the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest, the roundtable “Regulatory Adaptation in Central and Eastern Europe: Climate, Energy, and External Investment Challenges.”

The roundtable also featured contributions from Professor Matúš Mišík of the Department of Political Science at Comenius University Bratislava and Mária Poláková, Partner at Squire Patton Boggs in Prague.
In his contribution, Dr. Milenković addressed the Western Balkan perspective through three interconnected issues: balancing decarbonisation, energy security and affordability; adapting EU climate and energy rules to different institutional and infrastructural capacities; and regulating external investment while avoiding new forms of strategic dependence.

The two contributions provided an opportunity to present CCSDD research within the wider European academic and professional discussion on EU enlargement, differentiated integration, regulatory adaptation and the future relationship between the European Union and the Western Balkans.

02/07/2026

🇪🇺 On 30 June 2026, the new edition of the European Union and Legal Reform (EULR) Summer School 2026 officially opened in its revised hybrid format.

During the opening session, Director Justin Orlando Frosini welcomed the participants and introduced the CCSDD, its researchers, mission, main activities, and broad international partnership network. The final part of the first session gave participants the opportunity to introduce themselves and discuss the most pressing political and legal issues currently affecting their countries, with particular reference to the European Union.

In the afternoon, the Abernethy Lecture: “Scenarios on the Future of Europe” was delivered by Sir Michael Leigh. The lecture explored the importance of developing plausible scenario-building exercises for the European Union, especially in the context of EU enlargement.

It was followed by a lively, engaging, and thought-provoking debate among the participants.

12/06/2026

From 1–3 June 2026, Dr Marko Milenkovic, CCSDD-affiliated research fellow, participated in the first conference of the Jean Monnet Network - ENLARGE, “The Legacy of the Big Bang EU Enlargement: Lessons Learned and Future Perspectives,” held at Jagiellonian University in Kraków.The conference brought together scholars from across Europe to discuss the legacy of enlargement and the future of the European Union.

Marko presented the paper:
“Reconceptualising EU Enlargement through Differentiated Integration: Lessons from the Big Bang and the Future of Multi-Circle Membership.”
The presentation focused on how lessons from the previous rounds of enlargement can help us rethink future enlargement, especially through differentiated integration, gradual accession and possible multi-circle models of EU membership.

01/04/2026

Meet the CCSDD Research Assistants for the academic year 25/26 📖:

Chiara Giappichini

Chiara is a Research Assistant and second-year MAIA student in the Double Degree Program between the University of Bologna and Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). She holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Perugia, studied abroad at KU Leuven, and is also completing an Executive Master in Leadership for International Relations and Made in Italy, awarded to her through the America Youth Prize for Academic Talent. At the CCSDD, her research focuses on the Western Balkans—especially Kosovo, where she also took part in a humanitarian mission—and at SAIS she is deepening her interests in EU affairs, Middle Eastern politics, and gender issues. She has experience working with refugees in both Italy and Belgium. She speaks Italian, English, and French, and in her free time she enjoys traveling and hiking.

31/03/2026

📖 When the Machete Speaks Louder than the Court: How Papua New Guinea’s attempt to balance both modern rights and local traditions has led to an undermining of state legitimacy, shown most visibly through Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV).

02/03/2026

Sarajevo Study Trip 🇧🇦 ⚖️

A cornerstone of experience.

26/02/2026

Meet the CCSDD Research Assistants for the academic year 25/26 📖:

Addison Hollomon

Addison is a Research Assistant and first year MAIA student at SAIS from Seattle, Washington. Addison graduated from John Cabot University in Rome, Italy with a B.A. in International Affairs, focusing her studies on the nexus between religion and politics. After graduating, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, where she worked in grassroots development, learned Moroccan Arabic, and drank a lot of mint tea. Addison is interested in migration, international development, and human rights in the MENA region. She speaks Arabic and Italian.

25/02/2026

🇪🇺 Join us February 26 at 15:30 for Enlargement: Europe’s Next Chapter? A Conversation with Romano Prodi.

The event will open with remarks by Rector Renaud Dehousse and will be followed by a reception. This year’s gathering carries particular significance. February marks the 71st anniversary of SAIS Europe in Italy and coincides with the 150th anniversary of Johns Hopkins University.

Together, these milestones invite us to reflect on a shared tradition shaped by academic rigor, policy relevance, and global impact.

Indirizzo

Via San Giacomo 9/2
Bologna
40126

Sito Web

http://www.ccsdd.org/

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