Future of Europe
Head of section: Alberto Alemanno, HEC Paris
Innovation in democracy and the future of Europe are intertwined as policymakers and academics strive to find solutions to a swath of issues. Ongoing debates include the concept of treaty changes, the institutional setup of the European Union, the politicization of Europe, and the fate of European federalism.
Future of Europe
The ‘Political and the ‘Legal’ Approach of the EU?
Gábor Halmai reviews Stefan Auer’s European Disunion. Democracy, Sovereignty and the Politics of Emergency.
22.09.2023
Future of Europe
l’Europe qui confond — in Conversation with Hans Kundnani
What is “Eurowhiteness”? How do EU member states deal with their colonial pasts? How does the far right function in the EU? What is the structure of power within the EU? How was Brexit racially structured? Hans Kundnani speaks about his recent publication – Eurowhiteness: Culture Empire and Race in the European Project – with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska.
14.09.2023
Future of Europe
Negotiating Amidst Turmoil: Analyzing the Interplay of Dialogue and Conflict in Kosovo-Serbia Relations
In this conversation with assistant editor Lorena Drakula, Bodo Weber, a Senior Fellow at the Democratization Policy Council in Berlin, discusses the current situation, as well as the complex dynamics of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, unpacking its democratic implications, challenges, and opportunities.
22.07.2023
Future of Europe
The War in Ukraine and Transition: In Conversation with Maria Popova
Despite, or perhaps due to, the war in Ukraine there have been positive developments in combating corruption and other issues in anticipation of EU membership. In this RevDem Rule of Law podcast Teodora Miljojkovic discusses these issues around transition with Professor Maria Popova.
20.06.2023
Future of Europe
How Europeans Live Now: Ben Judah on Capturing the Arc of Life in Our Time
In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Ben Judah – author of the new book This is Europe. How We Live Now – discusses what motivated him to tell stories on a continental scale, which authors and books have inspired him the most, and what has been his approach to narrating. He also reflects on key themes have emerged from his extensive travels and reportage and on what he sees as the most consequential new aspects of how Europeans live now.
14.06.2023
Future of Europe
Suspending Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the EU? In Conversation with John Morijn and Alberto Alemanno
In recent weeks proposals by the Meijers Committee to suspend Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2024 have received support in a resolution of the European Parliament. In this RevDem Rule of Law podcast, Oliver Garner discusses these proposals in the wider context of the Rule of Law crisis with John Morijn and Alberto Alemanno.
9.06.2023
Future of Europe
Be Realistic, Demand Significant Change! Daniel Chandler on What a Progressive Liberal Society of the Future Could Look Like
In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Daniel Chandler – author of the new book "Free and Equal: What Would a Fair Society Look Like?" – discusses key principles that a better and fairer society could be based on; shows what makes John Rawls’ ideas so exceptionally relevant today and how they could help improve the democratic process; explains how placing questions of power, control, dignity, and self-respect at the center of liberal economic thinking would foster new economic arrangements; and discusses where egalitarian liberalism has already been practiced and with what consequences.
22.04.2023
Future of Europe
Weak prospects for Russia’s democratization
Wolfgang Merkel offers a typological classification of Putin's Russia after exploring how it compares with fascist regimes in Germany and Italy as well as Stalinism, and opines that several factors will contribute to Russia's "poor prospects" for democratization.
22.03.2023
Future of Europe
In Conversation with Danuta Hübner — Ukraine’s Road to EU Accession
In this conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, Danuta Hübner explains the specificities of the EU accession path for Ukraine, elaborates on the difficulties other countries had to overcome (most notably Poland), showcases the problems with Turkey’s and Western Balkans’ EU accession, discusses the criteria of joining the EU, and shares her visions of the future EU.
6.03.2023
Future of Europe
Adam Michnik: The war in Ukraine is not a war between the Russian people and the Ukrainian people
This war, of which we are commemorating the anniversary today, is undoubtedly the most important war of our time, because it is a war in which the imperial-chauvinist-totalitarian project is struggling with the democratic, European, pluralist project on the one hand.
28.02.2023
Future of Europe
Ukraine in the Union, or the end-of-history thesis reinvigorated
In this op-ed, RevDem managing editor Michal Matlak looks at the relevance of the war in Ukraine to Fukuyama's often-mocked thesis of the end of history and addresses the implications of the accession process for Ukraine, as well as for the EU.
21.02.2023
Future of Europe
Digital Fragmentation. Habermas on the New Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Markus Patberg reviews Jürgen Habermas’s new book Ein neuer Strukturwandel der Öffentlichkeit und die deliberative Politik [A New Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere and Deliberative Politics].
2.02.2023
Future of Europe
Wolfgang Merkel: “Democracy and capitalism are forcibly married”
In this interview with Bascha Mika, political scientist Wolfgang Merkel on the close connection between open societies and capitalist economic systems and the consequences of social inequality.
27.01.2023
Future of Europe
Building Enduring Democracies: Filip Milačić on the Effects of Nation and State Building on Democratic Consolidation
In this conversation with RevDem assistant editor Lorena Drakula, Filip Milačić – author of the book "Stateness and Democratic Consolidation. Lessons from Former Yugoslavia" – discusses the effects unresolved issues of stateness can have on the trajectories of democratic consolidation; how political actors can instrumentalize polarization in society to justify authoritarian measures; and what can be learned for democracy promotion projects today.
16.01.2023
Future of Europe
Asking the wrong questions, the wrong way: Why replicating “national consultations” is an inadequate response to their success
Although national referenda have become a rare species in post-2010 Hungary, the use of another instrument of plebiscitarian democracy—non-binding informal polls called national consultations—has not only been serving as a legitimization tool of government policies, but it has also been adopted by an opposition movement as a mobilization technique. This article argues that the strategic adoption of populist democratic repertoires, along with their main procedural flaws, is a threat to democratic representation. There is a need to shift discussions toward how these processes can be improved.
19.12.2022
Future of Europe
Italy after the Elections – Implications for National and European Politics
In this post, Maria Paula Angel Benavides summarizes the recent panel discussion "Italy after the Elections - Implications for National and European Politics," which was co-hosted by RevDem and the CEU Democracy Institute.
28.10.2022
Future of Europe
RevDem Debate: Rainbow families in the EU: obstacles to full equality
This debate is based on a report „Obstacles to the Free Movement of Rainbow Families in the EU” written for the European Parliament by Alina Tryfonidou. The debate will take place on Thursday, 27.10.2022 at 6 PM CET on RevDem's Facebook page
24.10.2022
Future of Europe
Ramona Coman on the emergence of the EU’s rule of law policy shaped by growing dissensus
In this discussion with Ramona Coman by RevDem managing editor Michał Matlak, they discuss the questions addressed in her recent book "The Politics of the Rule of Law in the EU Polity: Actors, Tools and Challenges" (Palgrave 2022), including the difference between liberal and anti-liberal ideas, and how "dissensus shapes the EU’s rule of law policy and tools."
14.10.2022
Future of Europe
“Vacanze Romane” for the EU’s Values Crisis?
In his latest op-ed, RevDem editor Oliver Garner analyzes the Italian election results and their implications not only for Italy, but also for the European Union.
30.09.2022
Future of Europe
The Way Europeans Stop Migration is Absolutely Horrific: A Conversation with Sally Hayden
In conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Sally Hayden – author of "My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route" – discusses the various detention centers across Libya and sketches the profiles of the people detained in them; reflects on her ambition of centering the voices of the victims and her dilemmas concerning what to release and what not to release about their cruel treatment, and more.
26.09.2022
Future of Europe
In conversation with Francis Fukuyama: “Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if it had been a democracy”
In this interview with Francis Fukuyama, hosted by Laetitia Strauch-Bonart (Editor of the Ideas section in the French weekly L’Express) and Michał Matlak (RevDem Managing Editor), they discuss his latest book, the status of liberal and illiberal democracies in the world today, how this relates to Russia, China, and the US, the threats to American democracy today, and more.
19.09.2022
Future of Europe
A turning point of democracy?
To mark the International Day of Democracy, we present an op-ed by Wolfgang Merkel examining the state of democracy around the world.
15.09.2022
Future of Europe
It is a mistake to see the Eastern vision as undemocratic. Peter Verovšek on European memory
In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Peter Verovšek — author of “Memory and the future of Europe. Rupture and integration in the wake of total war” — discusses the importance of foundational stories for communities; explains the influence of personal experience on the European integration; shows differences in remembering the past in West and East Europe and ponders on the consequences of Russian aggression on Ukraine for the European memory.
3.09.2022
Future of Europe
Free Speech, Equality, and Tolerance Are Mutually Reinforcing: A Conversation with Jacob Mchangama
In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Jacob Mchangama discusses central ideas of his new monograph "Free Speech: A Global History from Socrates to Social Media". The conversation reflects on how to write a global history of this subject; contrasts egalitarian and elitist conceptions of free speech; explores facets of the free speech recession experienced in the early 21st century; and explains why the counterintuitive principle of free speech should be seen as essential.
17.06.2022
Future of Europe
Christine Nissen: Danish Euroscepticism has been in decline since Brexit
On the 1st of June Denmark voted to remove its opt-out on EU’s common security and defense cooperation by an unprecedented large margin – 66,9 % yes against 33,1 % no. Kasper Ly Netterstrøm sat down with Christine Nissen researcher at Danish Institute for International Studies to understand the result and its importance.
10.06.2022
Future of Europe
The State of the Rule of Law in the USA and the EU: In Conversation with Niels Kirst
In this interview for the Rule of Law section, RevDem Editor Oliver Garner converses with Niels Kirst about the state of the Rule of Law in the USA and the EU.
3.06.2022
Future of Europe
Re-establishing the Epistemological Foundations of EU Law: In Conversation with Renáta Uitz
Oliver Garner interviews Renáta Uitz, Co-Director of the CEU Democracy Institute and Co-Editor-in-Chief of RevDem, on the distinct but interconnected roles of the European Parliament and the Court of Justice in combatting the Rule of Law crisis.
26.05.2022
Future of Europe
Change of framing and the need for peace in Ukraine: A reply to Szulecki and Wig
Responding to critiques of their op-ed on why the war in Ukraine should not be discussed using the "democracy vs. autocracy" framework, authors Irina Domurath and Stefano Palestini further develop why orienting the discussion around Russia's abuse of international law could draw more international support and avoid escalation into a Third World War.
25.05.2022
Future of Europe
Reflections of a European Man
In conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Stefan Auer discusses his new book European Disunion. Democracy, Sovereignty, and the Politics of Emergency (Hurst&Company 2022). In a conversation, he points out to the EU hubris, discusses crises that hit the EU recently, puts into a broader context Russian invasion of Ukraine, and shares his scepticism on the future of Europe.
20.05.2022
Future of Europe
Laetitia Strauch-Bonart: Conservatism has little to do with populism
In this discussion with Laetitia Strauch-Bonart hosted by RevDem Editor Michał Matlak, they discuss French President Emmanuel Macron’s ideology; the differences between conservatives and populists; her thoughts on Brexit and Frexit, and more.
13.05.2022
Future of Europe
Citizens’ Assemblies and the International Response on Climate Displacement
In this op-ed, Magdalena Smieszek explains how citizens' assemblies on the national level promote inclusive discourse because of their bottom-up approach; the variety of transnational and global citizens' assemblies focused on climate change; and what impact these assemblies might have on climate change action.
4.05.2022
Future of Europe
Can they ever win? The past and future prospects for an opposition victory in Hungary’s competitive authoritarian regime
By analyzing the recent parliamentary elections, the authors attempt to answer a key question for Hungary and Europe: is Viktor Orban and his ruling party defeatable?
30.04.2022
Future of Europe
Immediate EU membership for Ukraine? In conversation with Dimitry Kochenov
This interview, conducted by Rule of Law section editor Oliver Garner, considers the feasibility of immediate EU accession for Ukraine with Prof. Dimitry Kochenov, Professor in the CEU Legal Studies Department and Lead Researcher in the Democracy Institute Rule of Law work group.
20.04.2022
Future of Europe
The war in Ukraine is all about democracy vs dictatorship
A dictatorship has just brutally attacked its democratic neighbor. It’s not the first time in history that happens, but there are good reasons to see the war in Ukraine as the first one defining the conflict lines of this century.
9.04.2022
Future of Europe
Wolfgang Streeck: Life is easier if you’re not telling others how to behave
In this conversation, sociologist Wolfgang Streeck discusses the EU and European integration, the future of the EU, and more with RevDem editors Laszlo Bruszt and Michal Matlak.
29.03.2022
Future of Europe
Big, but Distant Dreams. Political and Legal Implications of Moldova’s Quest for EU Membership
On 3 March 2022 Moldova applied for EU membership. After the Soviet Union’s dissolution, Moldova started to build its independent statehood based on democratic values. However, the question that arises is whether Moldova reached its political and legal maturity to join the EU.
25.03.2022
Future of Europe
The Conference on the Future of Europe as a technopopulist experiment
Carlo Invernizzi Accetti and Federico Ottavio Reho in their op-ed for RevDem claim that political parties and other intermediary bodies are central for the democratization of the European Union.
22.03.2022
Future of Europe
Signe Larsen: The Federal Telos of the European Union
In this conversation with our editor, Kasia Krzyżanowska, Dr. Signe Larsen talks about the (largely unacknowledged) nature of the EU as a federation, varieties of constitutionalism within EU Member States, and the impact of colonial legacies on the EU.
17.03.2022
Future of Europe
Kiran Klaus Patel: The European Union has unexpectedly become too important to ignore
Ferenc Laczó discusses with Kiran Klaus Patel his latest book "Europäische Integration. Geschichte und Gegenwart" (European Integration: History and the Present Day).
18.02.2022
Future of Europe
European support for democracy: stress-tests ahead in 2022
Ken Godfrey and Richard Youngs write about 5 issues on the horizon in 2022 that will test how far the EU really is committed to defending democratic values.
15.02.2022
Future of Europe
Hungary two months before the elections – can the opposition win? Zsolt Enyedi in conversation with Daniel Rona [Party Co-Op Series]
Zsolt Enyedi discusses with Daniel Rona, director of the 21 research center the key questions related to the cooperation between the opposition parties before the April elections.
11.02.2022
Future of Europe
RevDem Thread: Transnational lists and beyond. How to democratise Europe?
This is our first RevDem thread – a series of short pieces answering key questions about modern democracies from top experts and practitioners in the field. We invite all interested authors to send further comments to our email address.
8.02.2022
Future of Europe
In conversation with Tom Theuns: An EU 2.0? Mass Withdrawal of Pro-Democratic Member States
Oliver Garner interviews Tom Theuns about the possibility and justification of a mass-exodus of democratically minded Member States via Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the founding of an EU 2.0 in response to Member States becoming autocratic.
28.01.2022
Future of Europe
Three tales about France and Eric Zemmour
Michał Matlak writes about the most controversial candidate in the French presidential elections - Eric Zemmour.
13.01.2022
Future of Europe
Oliver Garner: Bridging Brexit and Polexit? Reforming EU withdrawal
This op-ed considers whether the reforms to the EU withdrawal that use the lessons of Brexit to address the possibility of "Polexit" can be helpful in resolving the ongoing values crisis in the EU.
7.01.2022
Future of Europe
6 Key 2021 Books: Rule of Law and the Future of Europe
Oliver Garner and Michał Matlak, the Review of Democracy editors, select 5 most important books in two areas: Rule of Law and the Future of Europe.
23.12.2021
Future of Europe
Future of Europe: It’s Not about Treaty Change, It’s about European Democracy
Michal Matlak interviews Alberto Alemanno in the aftermath of the publication of the first batch of recommendations coming from the Conference on the Future of Europe Citizens’ Panel. This initiative provides an opportunity for a highly diverse group of randomly selected ‘ordinary’ European citizens to voice their wishes with EU-level decisionmakers on how to change the European Union.
18.12.2021
Future of Europe
Richard Youngs on the Resilience of Democracy
Richard Youngs in conversation with Michal Matlak about citizens’ attitudes towards democracy, transformative power of protests movements, citizens’ assemblies as well as democratic innovations on the European level.
10.12.2021
Future of Europe
‘In the Name of the Family’: Conference Report on the Budapest Demographic Summit
The authors summarize and contextualize the content of the summit to argue that the conference not only provided an opportunity for its participants to address the ‘demographic crisis’ in Europe and the ‘family politics of conservative’ governments,’ but also amounted to an attempt to develop a transnational narrative for such self-declared conservatives that could unite political and ideological actors on various continents.
24.11.2021
Future of Europe
What After the Pandemic?
Kasia Krzyżanowska reviews for us “Pandemonium” by Luuk van Middelaar, a book that summarizes the crisis he deems as most important for the EU in decades: the coronavirus pandemic.
20.11.2021
Future of Europe
Julie Smith: Brexit negotiations have been damaging for both sides
Michal Matlak interviewed Professor Julie Smith, Baroness of Newnham, who is a Liberal Democrat parliamentarian in the British House of Lords. They discuss referendums, the causes and outcomes of Brexit, the negotiation strategies of both the EU and UK, the likelihood of the UK returning to the EU in the future, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated post-Brexit evaluations.
19.11.2021
Future of Europe
Konrad Jarausch on Realistic Progress
RevDem editor Ferenc Laczo interviewed historian Konrad H. Jarausch, Lurcy Professor of European Civilization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, about his latest book Embattled Europe: A Progressive Alternative, a rich and finely balanced portrait of contemporary Europe.
10.09.2021
Future of Europe
Future of Europe: What is not forbidden is allowed. RevDem Interview with Guy Verhofstadt
Last week three RevDem editors interviewed Guy Verhofstadt, co-chair of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Today we are publishing the edited transcript of this conversation.
13.07.2021
Future of Europe
How East-West Dynamics Define Europe
In his article, Ferenc Laczo writes about the roots of the division of Europe into East and West and its consequences for European politics today.
3.07.2021
Future of Europe
Reading Barnier’s diary: Brexit and the nature of European integration
Our editor Michal Matlak reviews the secret diary of Michel Barnier, former EU chief Brexit negotiator and potential French presidential candidate.
11.06.2021
Future of Europe
Rule of Law is not like IKEA furniture
What is the societal dimension of the rule of law? How can we improve democracy on the European Union level? Is there a place for citizens engagement in design of the Conference on the Future of Europe? Paul Blokker, an associate professor at the University of Bologna, in a conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, unpacked all these issues.
2.06.2021
Future of Europe
[RevDem Launch Event] Conference on the Future of Europe: Democratic Innovation or Business as Usual?
May 9th marked the opening of the Conference on the Future of Europe. In the debate we organised one day later, the panellists discussed its objectives, how to achieve them and whether it can give a new impetus to European integration.
18.05.2021
Future of Europe
Citizens as Masters of the EU Treaties [Interview and Podcast]
Who are really the masters of the EU treaties and where does constituent power in the European Union lie — Markus Patberg, interviewed by Kasia Krzyżanowska, offers his answers to these questions.
12.05.2021
Future of Europe
The Future of Democracy in EU Member States
Michał Matlak summarises the debate on the future of democracy in Member States.
19.03.2021
Future of Europe
Conference on the Future of Europe: Process more important than outcome
Conference on the Future of Europe: The process is more important than the outcome. Interview with Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor in European Union Law & Policy at the HEC in Paris.
18.02.2021
Future of Europe
RevDem Podcast with Alberto Alemanno on the Future of Europe
The RevDem, an online journal of the CEU Democracy Institute, presents a podcast interview with Professor Alberto Alemanno (HEC, Paris) and the founder of Good Lobby about the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe, interviewed by RevDem editor Michal Matlak.
1.02.2021
