Madrid & Barcelona Future of Europe Debates: European integration after European Parliament Elections

DigiDem-EU WP3: Democracy, Participation and Europeanisation

Location:

CIDOB, Elisabets, 12, 08001 Barcelona

Organized by:

CIDOB, Global Policy Center (GPC), School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, IE University, and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Madrid (FES) with the support of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) of the European Commission.

2024 is a turning point for Europe and the world. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reshaped dynamics across the continent, triggering discussions on EU reform, enlargement, competitiveness, and its global role. With critical elections worldwide, including in the United States, India, Mexico, and South Africa, it's a crucial time for scholars and decision-makers to examine both the EU's internal affairs and its role in the international scenario.

FES, the Global Policy Center (IE) and CIDOB have partnered to organise the Madrid & Barcelona Future of Europe Debates, a series of closed-door roundtable discussions. The aim of the initiative is to analyse the main challenges of the EU and to reflect on how current geopolitical trends might impact the future of Europe in the crucial electoral year of 2024. CIDOB is hosting the roundtable discussion dedicated to the challenges emanating from the elections to the European Parliament.

The debate will consist of three panels focusing on different aspects of the elections. First, it will examine how citizens’ preferences will define the future of the EU and how could the new strategic agenda shape the course of European integration. Second, it will outline what is going to be the new institutional set up after the elections and whether and how the decision-making process of the Union may be impacted with the new composition of the Parliament. Third, it will reflect on the rise of the radical right in the European Parliament and what are the implications for the EU foreign policy.

Participants