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Breakfast Session under the Chatham House Rule

European Political Identity: Cracks in the Façade or Systemic Faults?

May 16, 08:30-09:45
Room: Berlin

Europe has, for centuries, been a home vast and welcoming enough for diverse political ideologies and movements—resilient enough to hold together. Recent wars and crises have put unity in question. Fractures may go well beyond a healthy disagreement, obstructing decision-making and driving societal discontent. Electoral authoritarianism is no longer alien to our continent. Populists have moved from the margins to the mainstream, while the political centre may be thinner than we thought. But not all movement is towards the extremes. What explains these dynamics and fault lines? Which internal and external forces are driving the polarisation? And what does a fragmented political Europe mean for its ability to act as a unified security actor in the face of immediate threats?

Speakers

Christian Danielsson

State Secretary for EU Affairs at the Government of Sweden

Szymon Hołownia

Deputy Speaker of the Sejm of Poland

Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Toomas Hendrik Ilves

President of Estonia (2006–16)

Michael Kimmage

Director of the Kennan Institute

Mark Speich

Secretary General of the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation

Moderator

Edward Lucas

Founder and Director of the Baltic International Security Centre