Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén

Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén is Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster. She teaches European Union studies and her main research interests are in the areas of European Union external relations, European Union governance, and international negotiations.

M. Frennhoff Larsén is a regular media commentator, and she has worked with media outlets including the BBC, Deutsche Welle, France 24, Huffington Post, Open Democracy, PMP Magazine, Social Europe, The Conversation, and the UK in a Changing Europe. She holds a PhD from the University of Westminster. Prior to moving into academia, she worked as Development Director for the Institutor for Citizenship and as Public Affairs Officer for the UK Office of the European Parliament.

The project

Title: Politicisation and Polarisation: The Role of the European Parliament in EU Enlargement

"EU enlargement is considered one of the biggest achievements of the European integration project. However, following the Eastern enlargement, enlargement slipped down the EU agenda, and support for progressing and opening new accession negotiations waned across the EU. There was widespread enlargement fatigue and concerns about the EU’s integration capacity. Enlargement became increasingly politicised and polarised, and member states frequently used their veto powers to block the accession process. Yet, since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the EU has expressed a renewed commitment to enlargement. The European Council granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova with unprecedented speed, and then opened accession negotiation with these countries. EU leaders also granted candidate status to Georgia, and they called for an acceleration of the enlargement process to the Western Balkans. While the European Commission and the member states are the key EU actors in enlargement negotiations, the European Parliament also plays a significant role through its direct engagement with the candidate countries via the Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committees, and via its regular monitoring of the Commission. It is often considered a key ally of the candidate countries, and it is increasingly flexing its muscles in the intra-EU debates, not shying away from criticising the Commission and the member states. Against the background of politicisation and polarisation, this parliamentary influence is only expected to increase further. Yet, most analyses of the EU’s enlargement process overlook the role of the European Parliament. To address this shortcoming, this project analyses the internal dynamics and divisions between and within the party-political groups and explores how these translate into parliamentary positions and influence during the EU’s enlargement negotiations."

Hosting institution: Sciences Po

Selective Bibliography

• Frennhoff Larsén, M.  (2023) The EU in International Negotiations (Palgrave Macmillan)
• Frennhoff Larsén, M. (2023) ‘Enlargement, Treaty Reform and Economic Crisis’ in Reinventing Europe, B. Leucht, K. Seidel and L. Warlouzet (eds) (Bloomsbury)
• Frennhoff Larsén, M. and Khorana, S. (2020) ‘Negotiating Brexit: A Clash of Approaches’ Comparative European Politics 18 (5): 858-877
• Frennhoff Larsén, M. (2020) ‘Parliamentary Influence Ten Years after Lisbon: EU Trade Negotiations with Japan’ Journal of Common Market Studies 58 (6): 1540-1557
• Frennhoff Larsén, M. (2017) ‘The Increasing Power of the European Parliament: Negotiating the EU-India Free Trade Agreement’ International Negotiation 22 (3): 473-498