Events / Program: Europe’s Futures

	Title	Date Sort descending	Type	Speakers
	A Future for Europe? Politics and Democracy in Times of Uncertainty	Mon, 09.10.2017	Lecture	Ivan Vejvoda	A Future for Europe? Politics and Democracy in Times of Uncertainty Mon, 09.10.2017 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Series: Lecture We are living in times of individual, political, economic and societal uncertainty. Europe is confronted with an unprecedented crisis, an internal self-questioning of the project itself manifested by the rise of nationalism and populism, coupled with external challenges of the wave refugees, the crisis in the Middle East and Russia. Read more
A Future for Europe? Politics and Democracy in Times of Uncertainty Mon, 09.10.2017 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Series: Lecture We are living in times of individual, political, economic and societal uncertainty. Europe is confronted with an unprecedented crisis, an internal self-questioning of the project itself manifested by the rise of nationalism and populism, coupled with external challenges of the wave refugees, the crisis in the Middle East and Russia. Read more
	Europe Drifting: What Is to Be Done?	Sun, 14.10.2018	Panels and Discussions	Karin Kneissl, Vesna Pusic, Natalie Nougayrede, Nobert Röttgen	Europe Drifting: What Is to Be Done? Sun, 14.10.2018 Speakers: Karin Kneissl, Vesna Pusic, Natalie Nougayrede, Nobert Röttgen Series: Panels and Discussions The European Union is at a crossroads. After decades of peace and prosperity it is confronted with the deepest questions concerning its future. Old ways are insufficient to deal with the present challenges. There is a stultifying lack of leadership beyond pronouncements of a will to change ingrained habits. Yet, challenges, internal and external must be addressed without pause if Europe is to survive. Read more
Europe Drifting: What Is to Be Done? Sun, 14.10.2018 Speakers: Karin Kneissl, Vesna Pusic, Natalie Nougayrede, Nobert Röttgen Series: Panels and Discussions The European Union is at a crossroads. After decades of peace and prosperity it is confronted with the deepest questions concerning its future. Old ways are insufficient to deal with the present challenges. There is a stultifying lack of leadership beyond pronouncements of a will to change ingrained habits. Yet, challenges, internal and external must be addressed without pause if Europe is to survive. Read more
	Citizens of Nowhere	Tue, 14.05.2019	Panels and Discussions	Ivan Vejvoda Niccolo Milanese Ulrike Lunacek	Citizens of Nowhere Tue, 14.05.2019 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Niccolo Milanese Ulrike Lunacek Series: Panels and Discussions Europe might appear like a continent pulling itself apart. Ten years of economic and political crises have pitted North versus South, East versus West, citizens versus institutions. And yet, these years have also shown a hidden vitality of Europeans acting across borders, with civil society and social movements showing that alternatives to the status quo already exist. Read more
Citizens of Nowhere Tue, 14.05.2019 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Niccolo Milanese Ulrike Lunacek Series: Panels and Discussions Europe might appear like a continent pulling itself apart. Ten years of economic and political crises have pitted North versus South, East versus West, citizens versus institutions. And yet, these years have also shown a hidden vitality of Europeans acting across borders, with civil society and social movements showing that alternatives to the status quo already exist. Read more
	Europe’s Futures Final Symposium	Wed, 12.06.2019	Panels and Discussions	Ivan Vejvoda Luke Cooper Piotr Buras Rosa Balfour Stefan Lehne Tim Judah Zsuzsanna Szelényi	Europe’s Futures Final Symposium Wed, 12.06.2019 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Luke Cooper Piotr Buras Rosa Balfour Stefan Lehne Tim Judah Zsuzsanna Szelényi Series: Panels and Discussions We need platforms to renew and reinvent Europe. In cooperation with leading European organisations and think-tanks, IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the crucially important topics: asylum and migration, rule of law and democracy, European enlargement and social inclusion. Europe’s Futures has clear objectives: a European Union that protects its citizens; where Member States defend the fundamental values of a democratic order and rule of law; and where countries such as Austria continue to forward the Union’s democratisation and enlargement agenda. Read more
Europe’s Futures Final Symposium Wed, 12.06.2019 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Luke Cooper Piotr Buras Rosa Balfour Stefan Lehne Tim Judah Zsuzsanna Szelényi Series: Panels and Discussions We need platforms to renew and reinvent Europe. In cooperation with leading European organisations and think-tanks, IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the crucially important topics: asylum and migration, rule of law and democracy, European enlargement and social inclusion. Europe’s Futures has clear objectives: a European Union that protects its citizens; where Member States defend the fundamental values of a democratic order and rule of law; and where countries such as Austria continue to forward the Union’s democratisation and enlargement agenda. Read more
	The Challenge of Technocracy	Thu, 27.06.2019	Panels and Discussions	Ivan Vejvoda Stefan AuerHans Kundnani , Nicole Scicluna	The Challenge of Technocracy Thu, 27.06.2019 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Stefan AuerHans Kundnani , Nicole Scicluna Series: Panels and Discussions The European Union (EU) is a rules-based order par excellence. Often seen as one of its great strengths, its reliance on rules as a functional equivalent of politics and political contestation is actually deeply problematic. The deficiencies of the EU’s rules-based and technocratic approach to governance have become much more apparent over the last ten years – the EU’s ‘crisis decade’. This panel focused on two trends that have emerged through the eurozone crisis. Firstly, the crisis has led to an increased reliance on non-majoritarian institutions, such as the ECB, at the expense of democratically accountable bodies. Secondly, the crisis has led to a new emphasis on coercive enforcement at the expense of the voluntary cooperation that previously characterised the EU as a community of law. Both of these trends diminish the quality of democracy at the EU-level as well as within its member states. The wider problem aimed to highlight is the EU’s tendency to resort to technocratic governance in the face of challenges that require political contestation. In the absence of opportunities for democratic politics, EU emergency governance oscillates between moments of heightened politicisation, in which ad hoc decisions are justified as necessary, and the (sometimes coercive) appeal to the depoliticised rule of rules. Read more
The Challenge of Technocracy Thu, 27.06.2019 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Stefan AuerHans Kundnani , Nicole Scicluna Series: Panels and Discussions The European Union (EU) is a rules-based order par excellence. Often seen as one of its great strengths, its reliance on rules as a functional equivalent of politics and political contestation is actually deeply problematic. The deficiencies of the EU’s rules-based and technocratic approach to governance have become much more apparent over the last ten years – the EU’s ‘crisis decade’. This panel focused on two trends that have emerged through the eurozone crisis. Firstly, the crisis has led to an increased reliance on non-majoritarian institutions, such as the ECB, at the expense of democratically accountable bodies. Secondly, the crisis has led to a new emphasis on coercive enforcement at the expense of the voluntary cooperation that previously characterised the EU as a community of law. Both of these trends diminish the quality of democracy at the EU-level as well as within its member states. The wider problem aimed to highlight is the EU’s tendency to resort to technocratic governance in the face of challenges that require political contestation. In the absence of opportunities for democratic politics, EU emergency governance oscillates between moments of heightened politicisation, in which ad hoc decisions are justified as necessary, and the (sometimes coercive) appeal to the depoliticised rule of rules. Read more
	Europe’s Futures Colloquium I	Mon, 09.09.2019	Seminars and Colloquia	Grigorij Mesežnikov Niccolo Milanese	Europe’s Futures Colloquium I Mon, 09.09.2019 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Niccolo Milanese Series: Seminars and Colloquia The working hypothesis of the project is a consideration that no less important factor of the growth of right-wing radicalism in Slovakia is – besides ethno-politics and social deprivation – a illiberal regression in the execution of power by mainstream political forces: tyranny of the majority, efforts to limit the fair electoral competition, marginalization of the opposition (especially of liberal-democratic orientation), selective justice, attacks on independent media and civil society, state capture, nourishing the illiberal public discourse on democracy, freedom, human rights, universal values, migration, the future of the EU, etc. Read more
Europe’s Futures Colloquium I Mon, 09.09.2019 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Niccolo Milanese Series: Seminars and Colloquia The working hypothesis of the project is a consideration that no less important factor of the growth of right-wing radicalism in Slovakia is – besides ethno-politics and social deprivation – a illiberal regression in the execution of power by mainstream political forces: tyranny of the majority, efforts to limit the fair electoral competition, marginalization of the opposition (especially of liberal-democratic orientation), selective justice, attacks on independent media and civil society, state capture, nourishing the illiberal public discourse on democracy, freedom, human rights, universal values, migration, the future of the EU, etc. Read more
	Europe’s Futures Colloquium II	Mon, 16.09.2019	Seminars and Colloquia	Alida Vracic Péter Krekó	Europe’s Futures Colloquium II Mon, 16.09.2019 Speakers: Alida Vracic Péter Krekó Series: Seminars and Colloquia How can record highs in the emigration of qualified people from the Western Balkans be beneficial for the region and its prosperity and future growth? Tapping into 6 million strong diaspora may offer some answers. Engaging with diaspora is critical not only to help consolidate the regional economic outlook, bring the latest cutting- edge technologies into the region and deepen know-how, but, even more importantly it can profoundly challenge current political narratives and help bring about much- needed energy and change. Questions like “What are the experiences of the emigrants?” “Under which conditions would they consider returning to the region?” and, ultimately, “What policies could bring a meaningful change in the medium term?” are just some to address. Read more
Europe’s Futures Colloquium II Mon, 16.09.2019 Speakers: Alida Vracic Péter Krekó Series: Seminars and Colloquia How can record highs in the emigration of qualified people from the Western Balkans be beneficial for the region and its prosperity and future growth? Tapping into 6 million strong diaspora may offer some answers. Engaging with diaspora is critical not only to help consolidate the regional economic outlook, bring the latest cutting- edge technologies into the region and deepen know-how, but, even more importantly it can profoundly challenge current political narratives and help bring about much- needed energy and change. Questions like “What are the experiences of the emigrants?” “Under which conditions would they consider returning to the region?” and, ultimately, “What policies could bring a meaningful change in the medium term?” are just some to address. Read more
	Europe’s Futures Colloquium III	Mon, 23.09.2019	Seminars and Colloquia	Isabelle Ioannides Nicole Koenig	Europe’s Futures Colloquium III Mon, 23.09.2019 Speakers: Isabelle Ioannides Nicole Koenig Series: Seminars and Colloquia Ten years ago, the Lisbon Treaty promised a stronger, more coherent and more effective EU foreign and security policy. This anniversary comes at a time when the Union is confronted with rising internal and external obstacles as well as expectations. The EU’s neighbourhood is characterised by conflict and instability. The rules-based international order is heavily contested and the transatlantic relationship is under constant pressure. The EU is facing internal contestation as illustrated by Brexit as well as more populist and nationalist foreign policies. Meanwhile, its citizens are calling for a ‘Europe that protects’ and are clearly in favour of closer foreign and defence cooperation. In parallel, external expectations on the EU to counteract the erosion of multilateralism are rising. Although the EU promises more strategic sovereignty and autonomy, it has too often failed to speak with one voice and influence international developments. The new institutional cycle offers an opportunity for a fresh start for EU foreign and security policy. Using it will imply addressing some key questions: How can the member states attain a more common understanding of the practical implications of EU strategic sovereignty? How can the EU live up to the promise of Lisbon and bridge the divide between the supranational and intergovernmental spheres of its external action? How can it bundle resources and instruments to effectively influence a select number of joint priorities? Read more
Europe’s Futures Colloquium III Mon, 23.09.2019 Speakers: Isabelle Ioannides Nicole Koenig Series: Seminars and Colloquia Ten years ago, the Lisbon Treaty promised a stronger, more coherent and more effective EU foreign and security policy. This anniversary comes at a time when the Union is confronted with rising internal and external obstacles as well as expectations. The EU’s neighbourhood is characterised by conflict and instability. The rules-based international order is heavily contested and the transatlantic relationship is under constant pressure. The EU is facing internal contestation as illustrated by Brexit as well as more populist and nationalist foreign policies. Meanwhile, its citizens are calling for a ‘Europe that protects’ and are clearly in favour of closer foreign and defence cooperation. In parallel, external expectations on the EU to counteract the erosion of multilateralism are rising. Although the EU promises more strategic sovereignty and autonomy, it has too often failed to speak with one voice and influence international developments. The new institutional cycle offers an opportunity for a fresh start for EU foreign and security policy. Using it will imply addressing some key questions: How can the member states attain a more common understanding of the practical implications of EU strategic sovereignty? How can the EU live up to the promise of Lisbon and bridge the divide between the supranational and intergovernmental spheres of its external action? How can it bundle resources and instruments to effectively influence a select number of joint priorities? Read more
	Illiberal Democracy: Contradiction, Ideology or Characteristic of our Age?	Mon, 30.09.2019	Panels and Discussions	Grigorij Mesežnikov Leszek Jazdzewski Luke Cooper Niccolo Milanese Péter KrekóKaterina Kolozova	Illiberal Democracy: Contradiction, Ideology or Characteristic of our Age? Mon, 30.09.2019 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Leszek Jazdzewski Luke Cooper Niccolo Milanese Péter KrekóKaterina Kolozova Series: Panels and Discussions Since Viktor Orbán used the term in 2014 to propose a new model for Europe, debates have raged over whether ‘illiberal democracy’ is a coherent concept at all, what distinguishes it from liberal democracy, and what its relationships are with terms such as populism, authoritarianism, state capture, nationalism and majoritarianism. Whilst academic circles have been trying to make sense of the idea, the term itself has shown political effectiveness, and informal alliances of illiberal leaders have appeared at the European elections, in summits on family policy, in international decision-making bodies and elsewhere. This seminar looked at phenomena of illiberal democracy from Macedonia, Hungary, Italy, the UK, Slovakia, Poland and considered what should be done to counter this discourse, by political institutions, by academics and by other political actors and activists. Read more
Illiberal Democracy: Contradiction, Ideology or Characteristic of our Age? Mon, 30.09.2019 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Leszek Jazdzewski Luke Cooper Niccolo Milanese Péter KrekóKaterina Kolozova Series: Panels and Discussions Since Viktor Orbán used the term in 2014 to propose a new model for Europe, debates have raged over whether ‘illiberal democracy’ is a coherent concept at all, what distinguishes it from liberal democracy, and what its relationships are with terms such as populism, authoritarianism, state capture, nationalism and majoritarianism. Whilst academic circles have been trying to make sense of the idea, the term itself has shown political effectiveness, and informal alliances of illiberal leaders have appeared at the European elections, in summits on family policy, in international decision-making bodies and elsewhere. This seminar looked at phenomena of illiberal democracy from Macedonia, Hungary, Italy, the UK, Slovakia, Poland and considered what should be done to counter this discourse, by political institutions, by academics and by other political actors and activists. Read more
	Europe’s Futures Colloquium IV	Mon, 30.09.2019	Seminars and Colloquia	Bernd Marin Leszek Jazdzewski	Europe’s Futures Colloquium IV Mon, 30.09.2019 Speakers: Bernd Marin Leszek Jazdzewski Series: Seminars and Colloquia In cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: asylum and migration, rule of law and democracy, European enlargement and social inclusion. We are creating a network of important EU actors, in particular between Austria, the Visegrád 4 countries and South-Eastern Europe. Europe’s Futures has clear objectives: a European Union that protects its citizens and offers more sustainable livelihoods than before; where Member States defend the fundamental values of a democratic order and rule of law; and where countries such as Austria continue to protect the Union’s democratization and enlargement agenda. Read more
Europe’s Futures Colloquium IV Mon, 30.09.2019 Speakers: Bernd Marin Leszek Jazdzewski Series: Seminars and Colloquia In cooperation with leading European organisations and think tanks IWM and ERSTE Foundation have joined forces to tackle some of the most crucial topics: asylum and migration, rule of law and democracy, European enlargement and social inclusion. We are creating a network of important EU actors, in particular between Austria, the Visegrád 4 countries and South-Eastern Europe. Europe’s Futures has clear objectives: a European Union that protects its citizens and offers more sustainable livelihoods than before; where Member States defend the fundamental values of a democratic order and rule of law; and where countries such as Austria continue to protect the Union’s democratization and enlargement agenda. Read more