On the occasion of the recent publication of two topical books, on 7 February 2025 the University of Groningen, Department of European and Economic Law and the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on the EU as a Global Actor co-organised a seminar on ‘EU International Agreements from the Perspectives of EU and International Law’. As one of the authors, LawGov’s Tamás Molnár acted as discussant at the event, which highlighted the multifaceted aspects of the interplay between international and EU law.

The event, chaired by Ramses Wessel (University of Groningen), was opened by Advocate General Tamara Ċapeta (CJEU) who spoke on the role of international law in the EU in general. Jan Klabbers (University of Helsinki, incoming Whewell Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge) then shared his thoughts about EU international agreements and treaty law. Against this background, the discussants offered their perspectives on the raised questions, shaped by their respective recent books: LawGov’s Tamás Molnár intervened in light of ‘Interactions between EU Law and International Law: Juxtaposed Perspectives’ (Edward Elgar Publishing 2024), co-authored with Ramses Wessel; then Gesa Kübek (University of Groningen) in light of ‘EU Trade and Investment Treaty-Making Post-Lisbon’ (Hart Publishing 2024). Their interventions looked into the EU’s seemingly opposing objectives when it comes to its increasing external engagement with international law as well as treaty-making challenges and incongruences when the EU and its Member States seek to act together on the international plane vis-à-vis third treaty partners.