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Reminder that the annual Passion for Europe workshop is happening very soon! 🔜 The topic chosen for this edition is “The European past, present and future: an experience of transcending boundaries.” During the whole weekend, keynote speeches, panel discussions and group sessions will offer you insights into the crisis facing Europe today and the opportunity to discuss visions for the future of Europe, rooted in Christian values such as solidarity, subsidiarity, personalism. This year in particular we propose to consider transcending boundaries, as experimented in border regions and European networks. The workshop will welcome distinguished speakers and panelists, such as Daniel Calleja, Head of the Legal Service at the European Commission, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Association of European Border Regions, Jan Zielonka, from the University of Oxford,  Ferenc Patsch SJ, from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Philippe Lamberts, MEP - the Greens, among many others. Join us to discuss visions for a hopeful future Europe, fostering cooperation, and shaping a shared destiny! Find out more and register www.passionforeurope.com 💯

🌍🗣️ Hey Europe, it's time to talk! In 2024, nearly half of European countries, along with the EU Parliament, will hold crucial elections. As we face multiple global crises, rising extremism, and a surge of disinformation, there's never been a more crucial moment for Europeans to come together across borders. That's where Europe Talks 2024 steps in. In an age where we're more connected than ever, it's still challenging to encounter diverse perspectives. Europe Talks creates an inclusive platform for Europeans to exchange ideas, seek common ground, and form informed opinions on today's most pressing issues. These constructive conversations have been proven to bridge divides and foster empathy across political spectrums. Let's connect, engage, and build a brighter tomorrow together. Start the conversation now: https://buff.ly/3TBVyZj #EuropeTalks Display Europe

We are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for the 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲, which will be held on September 26-28, 2024. As in its three successful predecessors in 2018, 2020, and 2022, the year’s conference will explore discourses of Europe through its history, culture, geography and values. It aims to serve as an international, interdisciplinary platform to discuss how Europe is understood and shaped through a plethora of aspects that can be theoretically approached and empirically identified. The Conference is an open call to political analysts, communication experts, diplomacy and security experts, public leaders, historians, economists and policymakers from a variety of fields to engage with the Conference themes and submit a contribution along the formats accepted. Submit your paper or panel proposal by November 30th, 2023. For more details, consult the Conference website at europeindiscourse.eu.

We are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for the 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲, which will be held on September 26-28, 2024. As in its three successful predecessors in 2018, 2020, and 2022, the year’s conference will explore discourses of Europe through its history, culture, geography and values. It aims to serve as an international, interdisciplinary platform to discuss how Europe is understood and shaped through a plethora of aspects that can be theoretically approached and empirically identified. The Conference is an open call to political analysts, communication experts, diplomacy and security experts, public leaders, historians, economists and policymakers from a variety of fields to engage with the Conference themes and submit a contribution along the formats accepted. Submit your paper or panel proposal by November 30th, 2023. For more details, consult the Conference website at europeindiscourse.eu.

💡 Ahead of our State of Europe festival of politics and ideas this week, we invite you to read this Critical Thinking article, by Prof. Dr. Bruno Colmant, Member of Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique and Professor at UCLouvain - Université catholique de Louvain, again. ⤵️ ❝The European continent needs more clarity about its future, whatever that future may be.❞ Weakened by social movements and ahead of the European elections, 2024 will be decisive for the future of Europe. In the new emerging model we find ourselves in, the question arises about what we want today as a society. ⬇️ Check out the full article below. #CriticalThinking #StateOfEU #2024EUElections #RenewedSocialContract

Today marks a very important date for reflecting on the degradation, deprivation of rights, and dispossession experienced by the African people, along with the cultural destruction on the African continent. 15 November – 26 February 1884 ushered in a new era, ushered in by a pivotal event – the Berlin Africa Conference, also known as the West Africa Conference or the “Congo Conference.” During this gathering in Berlin, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck convened representatives from European and overseas powers with a presence in Africa at that time, including England, France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Spain, the Ottoman Empire, and the USA. Regrettably, Africa and its people were conspicuously absent from active participation, reduced to mere opposition to European policies. The absence of African voices at the conference underscored a significant imbalance, as decisions about the future of the continent were made without considering the perspectives of its inhabitants. Notably, King Leopold II of Belgium asserted private interests in the Congo, sparking potential conflicts among colonial powers. Bismarck’s primary aim was to prevent such conflicts and seek resolutions through multilateral agreements, focusing on reconciling the interests of European superpowers rather than the well-being and agency of African nations. While the conference did succeed in averting immediate conflicts among the colonial powers, it set the stage for the efficient colonization of Africa. The interests of the conference members, predominantly coastal powers, took precedence, marking a turning point from the gradual expansion of various colonies to the complete division of Africa (excluding Ethiopia and Liberia). This division persisted until the early 20th century, symbolizing a historical moment that demands reflection, reconciliation, and a shared acknowledgment of responsibility for the impact on Africa’s past and its consequences for the present and future. Perhaps, reparations https://lnkd.in/g8z7aYcw

It was an honour to address academic staff and students at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin today. Europe is at an inflection point that will determine our future path. There are no easy solutions, but we will keep taking the necessary decisions. Our shared values of peace, justice, freedom and human dignity distinguish us as Europeans. At this crucial moment of relaunching, reforming and reimagining Europe, we must keep these values as the bedrock of everything that we do. Within our continent and beyond. Europe must meet this moment. Read speech: https://europa.eu/!vQddyk

A report of the Conference held last week at Palazzo di Venezia, organized by the Associazione Italia-Turchia. What a great way to celebrate a history of strong relationships and cooperation! Thanks Mert Pekdogdu for this interesting article!

I am very much looking forward to this Citizens’ Dialogue at the Residenz am Dom in Cologne. The generation of our parents and grandparents laid the foundations for the European Union. Politicians like Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, Jean Monnet or Alcide De Gaspari built their vision of a common Europe also on the continent’s heritage rooted partly in Christian values. What has changed since then and what does inspire and guide Europe today? #futuretalks #europeanunion

❝Those who lead Europe must indicate, at the risk of unpopularity, the course of its social and political future within a soothing moral framework.❞ Weakened by social movements and ahead of the European elections, 2024 will be decisive for the future of Europe. In the run-up to next year's elections, a number of parties in several countries are already making no secret of their desire for Europe by sending MEPs who can be considered eurosceptic at best. This is why our leaders need to promote the idea of altruistic European feeling, Colmant contends, rather than nurture the unattractive idea of technocracy. Indeed, in this emerging model we find ourselves in, the question arises about what we want today as a society. ⬇️ Ahead of our #StateOfEU festival of politics and ideas next month, we invite you to read this new Critical Thinking article by Prof. Dr. Bruno Colmant, Member of the Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique and Professor at UCLouvain - Université catholique de Louvain. #CriticalThinking #2024EUElections #Europe #RenewedSocialContract