Think Tank
Video chats
Online: Is Slovakia Ready to Break Free from Russian Gas?
23 October 2025
Developed with Central European civil society leaders, our scenarios explore possible futures shaped by rising populism, shifting election outcomes, and the growing need for defence readiness. At their core are two competing ambitions driving successful political strategies across Europe: embracing hard-power tactics and/or defending EU values – that map political strategies in Europe through the framework of democratic security.
Join our public debate in Brussels on 3 November at 15:30-16:45 CET at EESC, Rue Van Maerlant building (VMA), Rue Van Maerlant 2 in Brussels
REGISTER FOR THE EVENT BY SCROLLING DOWN OR CLICKING HERE.
The discussion will present key takeaways from the upcoming Visegrad Insight report, which contributes to deliberations on four EU policy initiatives: the EU Democracy Shield, the EU Civil Society Strategy, the EU Preparedness Strategy, and the funding to be provided in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Drawing on scenario-driven workshops held in spring 2025 and previous 2023-2024 work on these topics, the report distils strategic foresight from across Central Europe to propose actionable recommendations for Europe’s democratic future.
- How should the EU provide a credible defence posture by investing in democratic support?
- Which electoral battles will be a stress test for EU Preparedness?
- Who will be the Democracy Shield — the EU bubble or EU citizens?
After Europe’s security paradigm has been shattered by Russia’s aggression and in the context of great powers’ global competition, the shape of the democratic security in Europe – the nexus of hard power effort and pursuit of democratic ideals – is going to define our political freedoms and economic models. Therefore, our scenario-based approach enables us to future-proof policy proposals, such as the European Democracy Shield. Will it prove an effective tool for aligning with the EU Strategic Compass, or will it fail – leaving the Union’s democratic core vulnerable to erosion by great-power rivals?
This is also a part of the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) programmes, and involved a Visegrad Insight-led 3-year engagement across Central and Eastern Europe: EU Values Foresight homepage.
Join us as we take on the shared responsibility of safeguarding and promoting the principles that define Europe, including the EU’s capacity to defend itself.
Speakers:
Magda Jakubowska – Vicepresident of the Res Publica Foundation and Editorial Director at Visegrad Insight. She drives EU & security strategy analysis, and fosters pro-democratic discourse and strategic foresight in policy-making.
Wojciech Przybylski – Political analyst heading Visegrad Insight’s policy foresight on European affairs. Editor-in-Chief of Visegrad Insight and President of the Res Publica Foundation.
Framed as both a warning and a call to action, the report urges EU institutions, national policymakers, and Brussels’ policy community to seize greater agency in shaping Europe’s democratic security.
