Central and Eastern Europe

For Hungary’s prime minister, who has backed Donald Trump for years, a victory in the U.S. presidential election means more than a symbolic win – it could also deliver concrete advantages. In the short term, such a result would bolster Viktor Orbán’s position both internationally and domestically. However, differences in political priorities and in economic interests in particular could create friction between Washington and Budapest in the medium to long term. Given Trump’s unpredictability, there is no guarantee that Orbán’s promises – such as swift peace in Ukraine and an economic boom – will come to pass. 

At the turn of the millennium, the eastern enlargement of the European Union was understood as part of the liberal “end of history.” In the mid-2020s, it has long been evident that history has ended neither in Central and Eastern Europe nor in the EU. Today, we can reflect on the 20-year membership of Central European nations in the EU with respect to their former ambitions.

Why is EU institutional reform important and what are the priorities? - What is the connection between EU reform and enlargement? How would a possible right-wing shift affect the EU’s ability to carry out internal reforms and how can reform and enlargement still succeed? This panel discussion took place in Berlin on 7 March 2024 with Dr. Thu Nguyen ( Deputy Director, Jaques Delors Centre, Berlin) and Piotr Buras (European Council on Foreign Relations, Warsaw) moderated by Jan Philipp Albrecht, President, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. 

The rule of law is one of the guarantors of democracy. It has been gradually dismantled in Poland over the last eight years, which has not only resulted in penalties being imposed on the country by the European Union but has also affected the functioning of the state and the life of the average citizen, says lawyer Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram.

Higher education plays a major role in the formation of this political nation, but Russian colonial influences inhibit its European modernization. That is why the decolonization of higher education in Ukraine is an important aspect of its integration into the global educational space.