This paper examines the challenges faced by the European Union in acting coherently as a system of transnational governance during a significant geopolitical crisis. The refugee movements resulting from the war in Ukraine serve as a critical test case. Instead of displaying coordinated supranational capacity, the crisis revealed institutional bottlenecks, political hesitation, and inconsistent implementation across the Union. Although legal instruments at the EU level, such as the Temporary Protection Directive, were formally available, the responsibility for refugee reception and assistance was effectively assumed by individual member states. The analysis centers on Poland, where state authorities responded rapidly and at scale, contrasting with the delayed and fragmented coordination from EU institutions. This pattern, situated within a broader transatlantic context, underscores persistent tensions between supranational legal frameworks and the realities of state sovereignty under security pressures. The findings indicate that effective crisis management relied primarily on national capacity and political decision-making rather than collective institutional leadership. By investigating these dynamics, this paper contributes to ongoing debates regarding the practical limitations of regional governance arrangements during high-intensity geopolitical crises. The study also proposes pedagogical modules for undergraduate and graduate courses to encourage critical engagement with supranational crisis governance, second-language acquisition, and inclusive educational practices

Authors:
Pawel Maciag, Mercy University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Paweł Maciąg is a Senior Lecturer at Mercy University specializing in international law, international relations, sociology, and transatlantic relations. His current work examines transnational governance in the European context.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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