Lazăr MEP 2025

Topic

Adressing of Withholding of National Heritage Assets in Non-EU States

About the committee

The EU has defined ‘National Heritage Assets’ as cultural heritage, including “natural, built and archaeological sites; museums; monuments, artworks; historic cities; literary, musical, and audiovisual works, and the knowledge, practices and traditions of European citizens. However, over the years, two world wars, shifting national boundaries and collapsing states saw that such objects; particularly material ones, became estranged from their places of origin. This phenomenon is harmful largely due to its severing of historical continuity, owing to their role as timestamps in history being jeopardized, as well as its disconnection from the past for newer generations as these objects are often irreplaceable. A famous case study of this issue is the case of the Romanian national treasure, the ‘tezaur’ which was comprised of roughly 93 tonnes of gold valuing approximately €5.5 billion as of June 2025, illegally appropriated by Russia after it was transferred by the Romanian royal family during the First World War for safekeeping, which was brought to the European Parliament's attention in 2014. This led to an investigation and a request from the EU that Russia returns the gold to Romania, which it hasn’t to this day. This committee would deal with the complexities and dilemmas of returning such assets to their countries of origin as well as the question of what the EU can do to facilitate or trigger such a return.

Countries

Topic

Adressing the Terms for Admission in the European Union, Taking into Account Recent Requests

About the committee

The Copenhagen Criteria, which outline the political, economic, and institutional conditions for candidate nations, have long served as a guide for EU expansion. However, the EU's enlargement project has become more urgent and complex due to the changing geopolitical situation, which is characterised by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, rising regional instability, and increased demands for democratic resilience. In view of the current issues and goals of candidate nations, especially Moldova and Ukraine, this topic asks delegates to evaluate and maybe amend the current EU membership criteria. Despite persistent warfare, economic instability, and systemic reform obstacles, both countries have made notable progress towards conforming to EU norms. Their candidatures bring up important issues, such as whether the EU should stick to its established standards or modify them to take into account the particular situations of nations going through or recovering from combat. What part should energy independence, security concerns, and anti-corruption initiatives play in the future accession process?

Countries

Topic

Negotiating a Unified EU Approach to Trade Agreements with the Global South

About the committee

As the European Union works to reshape its global trade policy, its relations with the Global South, nations in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia are more important than ever. They are major trading partners and are essential stakeholders in resolving worldwide issues of climate change, poverty reduction, and supply chain resilience. Yet, the trade policy of the European Union has been accused of entrenching inequality, advancing European agendas, and showing insufficient robust norms in the realms of human rights, labor standards, and environmental protection. Meanwhile, geopolitical competitors like China, through programmes like the Belt and Road Initiative, and blocs such as BRICS are expanding their presence in the Global South through targeted trade and investment strategies. Moreover, the EU remains significantly dependent on both the United States and China for trade and raw materials, a situation which poses a significant threat in the current geopolitical landscape, seeing the trade war the Trump Administration is pursuing. Diversifying trade partners through agreements, especially in the Global South, can reduce these vulnerabilities and is crucial to guaranteeing strategic autonomy The committee is charged with deciding on the mechanisms through which the European Union can engage in a coherent, ethical, and sustainable trade policy with countries of the Global South. Delegates will need to weigh the equilibrium between development cooperation and economic opportunity in considering instruments like climate-induced incentives to trade, fair trade clauses, and debt-for-development. The aim is to make the EU not just a trading bloc but a dependable and trustworthy global partner as well.

Countries

Topic

Preventing Border Crimes in the Context of the Schengen Area Expansion

About the committee

The Schengen Area enables the free movement of people across member states without internal border checks, representing one of the European Union’s most transformative policies. As the zone expands to include more countries, the EU is increasingly confronted with the challenge of preventing cross-border crime while preserving the principle of open movement. These crimes include human trafficking, illegal arms transfers, drug smuggling, and the unauthorized movement of goods and persons. Each enlargement of the Schengen Area carries the potential to create temporary enforcement vulnerabilities. Countries newly integrated into the system may lack the resources or institutional resilience to fully monitor their external borders, making them potential entry points for criminal networks. These networks are often agile, well-organized, and capable of exploiting differences in national law enforcement capacities. Following Croatia’s accession to Schengen in 2023, authorities recorded a shift in trafficking routes and an increase in border-related offenses near the Western Balkans. This demonstrated how criminal activity can surge in areas where law enforcement cooperation and technological infrastructure are not yet fully aligned with Schengen standards. The committee’s goal is to ensure that as the Schengen Area grows, the European Union can uphold both security and freedom, reinforcing public trust in open borders while taking concrete steps to dismantle the criminal networks that threaten them.

Countries

Topic

The Question of Military Co-Operation Among EU States in the Baltic Region

About the committee

Throughout recent history, the region known as the Baltic Sea has seen multiple conflicts. The Napoleonic Wars, the Second World War, the Cold War. The Baltic Sea is bordered almost entirely by EU member states at the moment, making it a seemingly uninteresting body of water, however there is one exception that proves this assumption wrong, the Russian Federation. This makes the Baltic Sea a major security concern for the European Union as not only does Russia have the port city of Saint Petersburg, but also the Kaliningrad enclave which poses a major defense risk for the Baltic states, enclosing them in Russian territory. As such, a debate among the parties of the European Parliament is essential in formulating a competent response and managing joint military spending in thisregion. The representatives will discuss any measure they find appropriate such as investing in cyber security, enlarging their military presence or, on the other hand, seeking neutrality depending on the party they originate from.

Countries

Topic

Case of the European Comission v. Apple Sales International

Countries