Europe without the Union? Illiberal and Eurosceptic narratives in European social and political life

Illiberalism and Euroscepticism have gained popularity in Europe in recent years among different social groups. Nevertheless, despite certain standard features, there is a significant ideological variety of Eurosceptic and illiberal discourses – from hard to soft ones – that may be observed. Considerable differences in the local variants of Euroscepticism and Illiberalism also exist between and within European countries. Consequently, Eurosceptic political forces attempt to establish permanent cooperation by finding common ground. At the same time, they face severe challenges in overcoming fundamental divergences regarding essential issues. Moreover, the influence of Eurosceptic parties differs depending on the respective national political scene.

During our conference, we would like to discuss the social reception of Illiberal and Eurosceptic narratives in Europe and the relations between Eurosceptic political forces by paying particular attention to Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, and Slovenia. The debate about the phenomena in these four countries will allow us to show differences and some similarities between Euroscepticism and Illiberalism in Europe and draw some relevant lessons for the entire continent.

The event is organized within the project “Tackling Illiberal/Eurosceptic Narratives from Below” supported by the EU program “Europe for Citizens” in cooperation with the Batory Foundation.

Openini remarks

- Edwin Bendyk, President, The Batory Foundation, Poland
- Laurynas Vaičiūnas, President, College of Eastern Europe, Lithuania/Poland

Part One: Social reception of illiberal and Eurosceptic narratives: similarities and differences

Speakers:

- Dimitar Nikolovski, Director, Eurothink, project leader, North Macedonia
- Kristina Angelevska, Communications specialist, Eurothink, North Macedonia
- Faris Kočan, Lecturer, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Maria Wincławska, Associate Professor, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland
- Manuela Caiani, Associate Professor, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy

Commentary: Piotr Buras, Head of the office, ECFR
Moderation: Adam Balcer, Program Director, College of Eastern Europe, Poland

Part Two: Eurosceptic and Illiberal political forces in Europe

Speakers:

- Dimitar Nikolovski, Director, Eurothink, North Macedonia
- Adam Balcer, Program Director, College of Eastern Europe, Poland
- Marco Lovec, Associate Professor, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Manuela Caiani, Associate Professor, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy

Moderation: Edwin Bendyk, President, The Batory Foundation, Poland

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