Annual conference of the Faculty of International Relations:
The next 20 years of Czechia in the EU - A never ending
story of catching up with Europe?
The conference “The next 20 years of Czechia in the EU – A never ending story of catching up with Europe?”, held on October 7, 2024, at the Prague University of Economics and Business, provided a platform to discuss the Czech Republic’s path in the European Union over the past two decades.
- Matteo Bonomi (Istituto Affari Internazionali, Rome)
- Othon Anastasakis (University of Oxford)
- Jana Juzová (EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy)
- Harry Tzimitras (Peace Research Institute Oslo)
Moderated by Asya Metodieva (Institute of International Relations), the discussion focused on the impacts and achievements of the EU enlargement from a broader European perspective. The panelists emphasized both the successes and the ongoing challenges for new EU member states.
“We thought that once certain democratic standards were achieved, there was no going back. In reality, the path to democracy is not one-way.
– Jana Faktor Juzová
researcher, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy
“During the 2004 EU enlargement, political criteria were very significant. This is the right way to approach it—the EU should act as a normative power within the European context. Candidate countries must be democracies, and there needs to be as little corruption as possible.”
– Othon Anastasakis
Director, European Studies Centre, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford
The organizers would like to thank all the speakers, moderators, and attendees for their active participation, as their contributions greatly enriched the discussions. The EUROPEUM Institute also extends its gratitude to the partners and volunteers who made the event a success, and looks forward to future collaborations on similar topics!