2025-2 EU Society 4th Session October 02, 2025 > EU Society at KUGSIS

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The fourth session critically examined the European Union’s performance in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by focusing on how EU decision-making structures, internal political dynamics, and external geopolitical pressures influence its ability to act effectively. The session lead by Isabella highlighted that while the EU has achieved notable progress in areas such as long-term peace among member states, personal security, and judicial spending, these achievements are increasingly undermined by declining perceptions of judicial independence, rising human trafficking, and growing political fragmentation within the Union. A key focus of the session was the EU’s reliance on unanimity voting in sensitive policy areas like foreign affairs and security, which grants individual member states veto power and often results in delayed or weakened collective action. This structural challenge was illustrated through real-world examples, including budgetary disputes and blocked sanctions, as well as a comparative discussion of the EU’s unified response to the war in Ukraine versus its fragmented and inconsistent approach to Palestine, raising concerns about double standards in the application of peace and justice principles. The session also addressed the rise of far-right political movements across Europe, examining how stricter migration policies, shrinking civic space, and erosion of rule-of-law protections threaten progress on SDG 16.
Despite these challenges, the discussion acknowledged the EU’s role as a major humanitarian donor, a promoter of legal and regulatory standards, and a long-standing peace project, concluding that meaningful advancement on SDG 16 will require institutional reforms, including expanded qualified majority voting, stronger rule-of-law conditionality, and enhanced support for civil society and judicial independence.