The session "European Union: A Shift Towards the East?" will take place on Saturday, November 30, 2024, from 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM at Les Champs Libres (auditorium), as part of the highlight event of the European Dialogues in Rennes.

Free entry. 

Presentation of the Session 

Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the center of gravity of the European Union (EU) seems to have shifted eastward. Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania...: the gradual integration of new countries into the EU has altered geopolitical balances, decoupling the administrative organization of the European space from its cultural and identity footprints. Added to this is the Russian neighborhood, whose perception varies depending on the direct or indirect experience that European peoples have had of Soviet domination and now of a country initiating a new war on their territory.

What shared understanding do we have of the Central and Eastern European space? To what extent does Russia's war in Ukraine reinforce or diminish its coherence and weight within the European framework? What are the stakes of a new wave of EU enlargement to include Ukraine, Moldova, and some Western Balkan states?

This roundtable is organized in partnership with Arte and will begin with a screening of the Dessous des cartes episode dedicated to the EU's eastward pivot.

Participants 

Marie Mendras, political scientist, professor at Sciences Po Paris (France), Arnoldas Pranckevičius, Ambassador of Lithuania to France (Lithuania), Constantin Sigov, professor of philosophy, Mohyla University in Kyiv (Ukraine) 

Moderation: Emilie Aubry, journalist and presenter of Le Dessous des cartes, Arte (France)