Villa Vigoni,
DHI Rome
The European Union is dealing with the repercussions of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis. The political balance that seemed to have been achieved after the fall of the Berlin Wall has undergone structural changes in the last thirty years. One rightly wonders what the position of the European Union is in this 'new' world order, dominated by China and the United States, and how it can maintain global decision-making power, compared to the size of the Union in terms of population, economic strength and innovative capacity.
Quick solutions are needed, which is why (slow) democratic processes are increasingly being challenged. In facing future challenges, it will therefore also be a matter of further developing the models of democracy in Europe. Linked to this is the general problem of the EU, which although seen as necessary by its citizens, appears at the same time as an elitist project, far removed from reality. How can the original spirit of the EU's foundation be tangibly conveyed to the younger generations?
The project 'Re-Konstruktionen', financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), aims to contribute to the attempt to answer the question of how European populations react to the mentioned crises, how they adapt and how the community dimension can be strengthened. Italian and French points of view will be brought to the discussion. With the involvement of participants from Poland, the debate will also be enriched by the point of view of a Central and Eastern European country. The interdisciplinary conference (27-30 November 2023) will attempt to initiate a small-scale European debate. It will bring together different national, political, journalistic and academic perspectives on the concepts of solidarity, sovereignty and the future of democracy - always contextualised in the pandemic, war and energy crisis. The project is a contribution to the transnational European debate for society. Policies at national and European level are an essential pillar of European integration, but without the active participation of citizens, the economy and culture, the EU cannot be consolidated. Jean Monnet, one of the decisive figures for the start of the European integration process, put it in a nutshell with his famous phrase: 'Nous ne coalisons pas des États, nous unissons des hommes'.