In the framework of the Pre-Presidency Conference in Zagreb, a Pinder Lecture was given by John Stevens from the Federal Trust. The lecture started with an introduction to James Madison’s conception of federalism in America and how it developed throught American history. Thereafter, Stevens addressed the question to what degree that conception of federalism may be appropriately applied to the EU and he drew a comparison between Madisonian federalism and the current power of EU institutions. To conclude, he touched upon how Madisonian federalism was destroyed by the civil war and how European federalism is related to Brexit.