How Will EU Policies Help Maintain Peace in Europe?

Participants will explore how Europe can strengthen its democratic and security frameworks without compromising dialogue, cooperation and the collective aspiration for lasting stability.

Join our public debate in Budapest on 30 October at 17:00 CET at the Up Hotel, Csengery u. 31, Budapest (Cloud Room).

As the European Union (EU) approaches the 2029 elections, concerns over democratic resilience persist, particularly given pressures in countries such as Hungary. How can Europe strengthen its democratic and security frameworks without compromising dialogue, cooperation and the collective aspiration for lasting stability? And how to balance broader societal will for preparedness while fostering a shared commitment to peace across the continent?

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Speakers:
Goran Buldioski – Senior Fellow at the Hertie School. He supports the Office of the President in designing and developing new initiatives on democracy, and contributes to Executive Education programmes, focusing on the rule of law and EU policy.

Peter Heil – an adviser at the European Parliament for the Hungarian delegation at the Group of Socialists and Democrats. He is also the international secretary of the Democratic Coalition of Hungary.

Márta Pardavi – Co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a leading human rights NGO based in Budapest, Hungary. She has recently been focusing on the threats to the rule of law and civil society space in Hungary and the EU.

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.

Moderator:
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.

The discussion will present key takeaways from the upcoming Visegrad Insight report, which contributes to deliberations on four forthcoming EU policy initiatives: the EU Democracy Shield, the EU Civil Society Strategy, the EU Preparedness Strategy, and the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Drawing on scenario-driven workshops held in spring 2025, the report distils strategic foresight from across Central Europe to propose actionable recommendations for Europe’s democratic future. 

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.

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