3rd Annual Nomos Conference
Europe Twenty Years after the 2004 Enlargement of the EU: Vices, Virtues, and Future Challenges
Twenty years have passed since the 2004 EU enlargement and perhaps it has never been more urgent to question the impact and importance of the EU’s expansion policy for CEE and SEE, as well as of the principles underpinning European integration or European values more in general. This conference provides a space for critically engaging with such questions: for thinking about vices and virtues of our present and to working towards better futures.
The 2004 enlargement of the European Union has been not only the largest but also the most politically and socially charged one. Symbolically linked to the fall of the Berlin Wall, this political project intended to unify Europe after the Cold War. It aimed to bring prosperity, improved quality of life, safety, and global influence while reducing the East-West divide. The impact of this expansion has been radical: along with undeniable benefits, it furthered the emergence of specific social and political problems. It was clear since the beginning that how this project was conducted had evident weaknesses. The expansion struggled to address the historical and cultural complexities of Central and Eastern European countries, leading to difficulties in embracing neoliberalism and democratic values, with new economic assets ending up fuelling authoritarian populism in the region.
It cannot be omitted that the 2004 enlargement unfolded on the minefield of postcolonial and peripheral relations. It was meant to reach the hardest of the goals: to reduce the ageold division between the West and East of Europe, but through economic processes that reconfirmed the dependence of CEE and SEE from Western hegemonic centres. For the societies of new EU members, the post-enlargement period is an epoch of mass-scale emigration and brain drain, which triggered profound social and demographical problems.
Epochal challenges, including the Eurozone crisis, refugee crisis, Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical conflicts, further complicated Europe’s social landscape. While the EU and its member states are still formally dedicated to human rights and democratic principles, their actual policies and actions frequently fall short of these ideals. When it comes to addressing issues of racism, gender violence, discrimination, and the rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities, the responses from states are often inadequate and, in some instances, contribute to the violation of rights rather than alleviating them.
Twenty years have passed since the 2004 EU enlargement and perhaps it has never been more urgent to question the impact and importance of the EU’s expansion policy for CEE and SEE, as well as of the principles underpinning European integration or European values more in general. This conference provides a space for critically engaging with such questions: for thinking about vices and virtues of our present and to working towards better futures.
Confirmed keynotes: Wolfgang Streeck (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, em.) Anneli Albi (University of Kent)
Themes and Topics
We invite proposals for papers that address themes and topics such as (but are not limited to):
Economy/Governmentality:
- European Governance and its impact on CEE
- The impact of Neo-Liberal Europe on the post-communist transition
- Critical Perspective on Common Market
- Labour, accumulation of capital and new political subjectivities
- Governmentality and European integration
Liberalism, Right-Wing Populism, and the Use of the Law in the EU:
- The rule of law and populist constitutionalism in CEE
- What is Illiberalism the name of?
- Integration through the law, its benefits, and limits
- The rise of right-wing parties in Europe
- Women’s rights, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights
- Authoritarian liberalism
Space:
- The East/West divide in Europe
- What is CEE?
- Critical Geography of Europe
- Bordering Europe and Migration
- European foreign and security policy
The Philosophy of Europe:
- The ‘idea’ of Europe
- Theories of Integration
- Europe and the anti-fascist legacy
- Contested histories of European Values: race, class, and gender
FORMAT: The conference will take place at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Additionally, for those who cannot come to Kraków in person, we envisage the possibility of joining us online.
CONFERENCE FEE: none
SUBMISSIONS: Abstracts no longer than 300 words should be sent together with the applicant’s short bio note and affiliation to the email address: nomos@uj.edu.pl before 15 March 2024. Selected participants will be notified about their acceptation until 30 March 2024.
CONTACT: Should you have any questions, please write to: nomos@uj.edu.pl