Since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force in 2009, the European Union has faced numerous significant crises. At the same time, the Union’s member states have largely proven unable or unwilling to amend the EU’s treaties. While this has often created impasses and deadlocks, it has not stopped the process of European Integration. On the contrary, some scholars have argued that the EU almost relies on crises, as its member states often are only able to build consensus on further large steps of European integration in exceptional situations.
Over the last fifteen years, significant developments have allowed the EU to respond to new challenges. Many of them have been enabled through creative interpretations of the EU treaties rather than formal amendments. In this conversation, Päivi Leino-Sandberg critically analyzes the recent application of the doctrine of living constitutionalism by EU institutions.
Päivi Leino-Sandberg is Professor of Transnational European Law at the University of Helsinki and Deputy Director of the Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights. Prof. Leino-Sandberg’s new book, European Integration in the Constitutional Borderlands, co-authored with Peter Lindseth, was published by Oxford University Press in May 2026.
The interview was conducted by Konstantin Kipp. Alina Young edited the audio file.
