Conferences
EU Values Foresight
Think Tank
Event: Roundtable in Bratislava
23 November 2023
The project seeks to energise a forward-looking debate among civil society actors in CEE on the block’s key challenges and to identify and address the main threat perceptions.
The project will provide educational remedies through original research while empowering citizens of different ages and backgrounds to participate in the political process, especially in the run-up to the European Parliamentary elections in 2024. We will invite diverse groups of civil society stakeholders, including youth and minorities, to participate in a structured citizens’ driven foresight advising on the future policy directions of the EU. The output will be disseminated among civil society actors, including youth organisations, and presented to MEPs as a means to raise exposure to diverse, bottom-up voices primarily from countries with the lowest participation in the EU’s political process.
Events:
26 July 2023 – online: foresight workshop no. 4
Visegrad Insight and partner dPart held a foresight workshop online where participants from different nationalities, professions, and age, diagnosed key challenges for the EU’s future in regards to the 2024 Parliamentary elections. The areas discussed were security, law, democracy, and fundamental rights, drawing upon the participants’ varied experiences. The discussion underscored the necessity for enhanced cooperation, adherence to EU law, and a commitment to inclusivity, particularly for social, ethnic, and cultural minorities. However, decentralisation, especially in security, was suggested to respect individual countries’ unique situations. A report will be released in October, summarising the outcomes of these workshops and will culminate in the Citizens Foresight project on the 2024 European Parliament Elections, featuring voices from the CEE region.
6-8 July 2023 – Cluj-Napoca, Romania: foresight workshop no. 3
30 participants from 9 different EU countries joined the latest foresight discussion (21 from Romania, 2 from Poland and Slovakia, 1 from each: Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, and Latvia) to formulate a strategic vision for tackling future obstacles and seizing opportunities impacting the 2024 EU parliamentary elections. The result was a blueprint providing valuable insights and tangible steps for enduring growth that will persist for the entire duration of the project. This represented a meaningful stride towards a flourishing future for the CEE region, imbuing the participants with a sense of accomplishment and optimism.
26-28 May 2023 – Conversano, Italy: foresight workshop no. 2
33 participants from 13 different EU countries joined the latest foresight discussion (13 from Poland, 5 from Hungary, 3 from Romania, 2 from Slovakia, 1 from each: Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Portugal; 2 participants were from Ukraine) aimed to create a strategic foresight plan to navigate future challenges and opportunities effecting the 2024 EU parliamentary elections. The outcome was a plan that provides insights and concrete actions for long-term development that will continue throughout the project length. This was a significant step towards a prosperous future for the CEE region, leaving participants with a sense of achievement and hope.
20-21 April 2023 – Warsaw, Poland: kick-off foresight discussion
As a first foresight event, Visegrad Insight, Res Publica Foundation hosted an in-person breakfast on the upcoming 2-year electoral cycle shaping the future of Europe, including the 2024 European Parliamentary Elections and national races, with a focus on challenges to European values and the influence of the nationalist agenda on EU outcomes. Led by Wojciech Przybylski and partner organizations, the event aimed to launch our new citizen foresight project, generating policy options and fostering public debate. The discussion delved into questions regarding political trends, consequences for the EU affairs, expected election results, and developing potential scenarios for a more democratic and inclusive electoral process. 30 participants from 10 different EU countries joined the discussion (20 from Poland, 2 from Hungary, 1 from each: Bulgaria, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Austria, France, Portugal, and Lithuania). Read the full description of the event here.
To launch the new citizen foresight project, Visegrad Insight hosted the ten partners from partner organisations at its headquarters for the initial project kick-off meeting where they discussed the main areas to focus on for the remainder of the project cycle in a horizon-scanning, foresight-building workshop.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
The aim of this project is twofold: first, to promote citizens’ and representative associations’ participation in the democratic and civic life of the Union, by encouraging the exchange of views in all areas of Union action, and second, to develop transnational partnerships and networks that allow citizens from diverse backgrounds to actively participate in the EU policymaking process.
The project seeks to energise a forward-looking debate on the key challenges facing the EU by empowering citizens of different ages and backgrounds to participate in the political process and address democratic deficits in the Union. The project will primarily focus on civil society stakeholders in CEE and other EU countries, overcoming an image of limited input associated with the region through extensive workshops, consultations, and scenario-building, and engaging public debate through the media and social media exchange. Diverse groups of civil society stakeholders, including youth and minorities, will participate in a structured citizens’ driven foresight advising on the future policy directions of the EU, with the output disseminated among civil society actors and presented to MEPs to raise exposure to diverse, bottom-up voices.
The project brings together a larger group of partners from the following institutions: Bratislava Policy Institute (Slovakia), Euro Créative (France), THE CIVICS (Bulgaria), Fondazione Di Vagno (Italy), Babeş-Bolyai University (Romania), DPart (Germany), Robert Schuman Institute (Hungary), Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (Latvia), and the Open Lithuania Foundation (Lithuania). This project is supported by the European Commission’s Europe for Citizens Programme and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) framework cooperation.
ABOUT STRATEGIC FORESIGHT:
Strategic foresight is a powerful analytical method that helps multinational organisations and institutions navigate in times of uncertainty.
By means of strategic foresight, Visegrad Insight – Res Publica Foundation develops plausible scenarios for democratic security in Europe and actionable policy options. We work with a comprehensive network of experts and eminent leaders across Central and Eastern Europe. With a focus on major strategic decisions ahead, we analyse the impact of megatrends, conduct horizon scanning, and host scenario-building workshops. The scenarios generate a future-oriented public debate in Europe to best inform decision-making.
In 2023 Visegrad Insight’s work focuses on three key areas: EU policies’ impact on democratic security, the future of EU enlargement and neighbourhood, and scenarios for the European elections in 2024.
Our strategic foresight is powered by: the German Marshall Fund of the U.S., the National Endowment for Democracy, the ZEIT Foundation, META, the International Visegrad Fund, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office UK, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the European Commission.
