East Central European Cooperation in Times of Crisis - Regional Synergies in Tackling Common Challenges

The School of Social Sciences and History will host three round-table discussions on the actualities, strategies and visions of Central and Eastern European cooperation, featuring interesting ideas and discussion starters from guest speakers from the countries of the region.

East-Central Europe has once again found itself in the crossfire of global historical events: war in the East, uncontrollable immigration in the South and ideological battles in the West. Just as in the era of regime change or the global economic and health crises of 2008 and 2020, the states at the heart of the European continent are not excluded from the global power reshuffle. The form, content, depth, strength and scope of cooperation between our countries may undergo a series of transformations in response to the geopolitical and strategic circumstances of the time. But the interdependence of our nations and our need to work together remains constant.

• What's next for East-Central Europe? What is the role of our region within the EU and NATO?
• What binds our nations together and what cooperation can make our centuries-old ties even stronger?
• These are some of the questions we will be seeking answers to at our event on 9 May, with the help of distinguished professors and researchers.

PROGRAM

14:00 Welcome Speech

14:15-15:35 Common Interests and Shared Values in East Central Europe
CEI, V4, Craiova Group, Slavkov triangle, "Danube cooperation"

• Piotr BAJDA, Head of European Studies, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University
• Dorin-Mircea DOBRA, Professor at the Faculty of European Studies, Babes-Bolyai University
• Péter DOBROWIECKI, Head of Research, Hungarian-German Institute for European Cooperation
• Moderator: Szabolcs JANIK, MCC Center for Political Science

15:45-16:45 Land of (In)security? Defense Community, Bucharest 9, Salzburg Forum, V4 EU Battlegroup

• HEINZ GÄRTNER, Professor for Political Science, University of Vienna, International Institute for Peace
• MILAN IGRUTINOVIĆ, Research Associate, Belgrade Institute for European Studies
• NELI KIRILOVA, Researcher, European Security and Defense College
• ANDREY MAKARYCHEV, Professor of Regional Political Studies at the University of Tartu
• Moderator: Dániel GYURISS, MCC Center for Political Science

16:45-17:45 On Track? Connectivity of Networks: Infrastructure Cooperation From the Baltics to the Balkans (3SI, V4, Danube region strategy, WB6)

• PIOTR PIETRZAK, University Lecturer at the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski
• LADISLAV CABADA, Vice-Rector for Research and Creative Work, Metropolitan University Prague
• BÁLINT L. TÓTH, Researcher, MCC Center for Political Science
• Moderator: Márton CSAPODI, MCC Center for Constitutional Politics

17:45-18:00 Concluding Remarks