István Hegedűs participated at the panel discussion organised by JEF Hungary and Time for a European Federation on the actuality of the book written by Yannis Karamitsios entitled "Time for a European Federation" in Magnet House, Budapest on 28 November 2022.

The Future of Democracy: Strengthening Liberal Values, Institutions and Procedures at Global, European, Regional and National Levels – online conference of the Hungarian Europe Society – Date: 17 March 2022, Thursday   CONFERENCE RECORDINGS   The Hungarian Europe Society has previously organised webinars and conferences about major social and political problems which have recently emerged in our new, uncertain times. Most significantly, liberal democracy has been under attack worldwide in national and regional public arenas as well as through the increasing international geopolitical race between the democratic Western world and strengthening (semi)-authoritarian regimes. The beginning of the twenties of the 21st century has brought up new risks and threats to the surface: environmental emergency, an unknown pandemic, migration, growing economic inequalities, the contradictions of a post-truth era, ideological/cultural as well as social/geographic polarisation and fragmentation, extreme right-wing identity politics, and soon. We have two particular focuses which comprehensively incorporate the above mentioned themes. First, the Conference on the Future of Europe that was launched in May 2021 works with an open agenda and its settings let participants discuss all kinds of policy issues as well as legal and institutional renovations. Second, the Summit for Democracy, invented by the Biden administration, goes beyond transatlantic relations regarding its more ambitious, global scope in order to bring together democratic states for action worldwide. Both big exercises give civil groups, think tanks and citizens the chance to interfere and influence conceptual considerations and practical outputs before the end of the deliberations.   Program: 10.00 – 10.15 Participants Connect to Online Platform 10.15 – 10.30 Welcome Address István Hegedűs, Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest Detmar Doering, Head of Prague Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Prague 10.30 – 12.30 Morning session: The European Union: Fast Forward or a New Sclerosis? Moderator: István Hegedűs, Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest 10.30 – 11.00 Jacques Rupnik, Research Professor at CERI-Sciences Po in Paris and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges: Do We Have an East-West Divide inside the European Union? From the Perspectives of the Ongoing Debates about the Future of Europe and the Forthcoming French Presidential Elections 11.00 – 11.30 Linn Selle, Chairperson of the European Movement Germany, Berlin: New German Perceptions on the Future of the European Union 11.30 – 12.00 Wojciech Przybylski, Editor-in-chief, Visegrad Insight, Warsaw: Alternative Ideas on the Reform of the European Union from Central Europe 12.00 – 12.30 Richard Youngs, Senior Fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, based at Carnegie Europe, Brussels: The Conference on the Future of the European Union: A Fresh Exercise for Democratic Participation and Citizens’ Inclusion? 12.30 – 14.00 Break 14.00 – 16.00 Early Afternoon Session: A New Era for the Global Co-operation of Democracies? Moderator: István Hegedűs, Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest 14.00 – 14.30 Jonathan Katz, Senior Fellow and Director of Democracy Initiatives, The German Marshall Fund of the United States; former Deputy Assistant Administrator, Europe and Eurasia Bureau, US Agency for International Development, Washington DC: The Summit for Democracy: Objectives, Progress and Problems 14.30 – 15.00 Jamie Shea, Senior Adviser on Security and Defence Policy, European Policy Centre; former Deputy Assistant Secretary-General for Emerging Security Challenges, NATO, Brussels: Security and Geopolitical Considerations for our Decade 15.00 – 15.30 Maria Domańska, Senior Fellow, Centre for Eastern Studies, Warsaw: How and Why Russia Challenges and Undermines Liberal World Order and What can the West Do against the Threat? 15.30 – 16.00 Imants Lieģis, Senior Fellow, Latvian Institute for International Affairs, Former Ambassador, Former Minister of Defense, Riga: Dealing with Assaults on Democracy within the Dynamics of Relations between the EU, USA, Russia and China 16.00 – 18.00 Late Afternoon Session: Will Populists Take Over Worldwide? Moderator: Erik Uszkiewicz, Vice-chairperson, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest 16.00 – 16.30 Erin Jenne, Professor at the International Relations Department at the Central European University, Budapest-Vienna: Mapping Populism and Nationalism in Leader Rhetoric across North America and Europe 16.30 – 17.00 Ruth Wodak, Emeritus Distinguished Professor and Chair in Discourse Studies, Lancaster University/University Vienna: Liberal and Populist Media Discourses and the Transformation of Media Systems 17.00 – 17.30 Helena Rosenblatt, Distinguished Professor of History, Political Science and French, The Graduate Center, City University of New York: Right- and Left-Wing Illiberalism 17.30 – 18.00 István Hegedűs, Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest: The Significance of the Hungarian Parliamentary Elections on 3 April 2022 18.00 – 18.15 Closing Remarks Erik Uszkiewicz, Vice-chairperson, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest   “The Future of Democracy: Strengthening Liberal Values, Institutions and Procedures at Global, European, Regional and National Levels” project is supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. This event is being video recorded for archival, educational, and related promotional purposes. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to the video recording. Please note that the language of the event is English and no translation will be provided.

The Legacy of 1956, 1989 and 2004 from the Perspective of 2021 in Hungary - hybrid conference organised by the Hungarian Europe Society - Date: 22 October 2021, Friday 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (CET) Venue: ibis Styles Budapest Center (Rákóczi út 58., 1074 Budapest) & Zoom   1989 represents a turning point in history, both for Central Europe and the whole European continent. In East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia or Hungary, democratic opposition managed in a short period to peacefully oust communist elites that had been ruling their countries for several decades. Hence, between 1989 and 1991 the new political elites were able to reunify successfully with a democratic neighbour (Germany) or build the democratic foundations of their states (Czechia, Poland, Hungary). The German reunification in 1990 itself can be considered as the preliminary step of the integration of Central Europe with the rest of the continent. Meanwhile, the democratic and economic transitions of the 1990s constituted necessary preconditions for Central European countries to achieve their accession to the Euro-Atlantic organizations such as the European Union and NATO. The transition was sometimes painful but successful, as 2004 became the symbol of unity of the European continent with the biggest ever European Union enlargement.  Today it is particularly important to recall the legacy of democratic transition of 1989 and the largest European integration of 2004 when nationalism, populism, and authoritarian trends are on the rise in Europe, particularly in Central European states and undermines the unity of the EU. Indeed, this legacy may serve as a crucial source of inspiration for activities aiming at the reinvigoration of European values.     The main goal of our project EUritage is to remind the European citizens about the importance of democratic transition of Central Europe and its accession to the EU and the values (liberal democracy, rule of law, civic national identity, free market economy) underpinning these processes. The same values make the foundations of the Union.   Agenda 10.30 Welcome: István Hegedűs (chairman, Hungarian Europe Society) 10.35 Historic Perspectives - Hungary at the Crossroads Speaker: Gergely Romsics (historian, Institute of History at the Research Centre for Humanities, Budapest) Discussant: István Hegedűs (chairman, Hungarian Europe Society) 11.15 Video presentation: “A European Success Story? Central Europe from Democratic Revolutions to EU Accession” 11.30 Round-table discussion: Adam Balcer (senior fellow, WiseEuropa, Warsaw) Ladislav Cabada (vice-rector for Research and Creative Work, Metropolitan University, Prague) Zsuzsanna Szelényi (former Member of the Hungarian Parliament, 1990-94, 2014-18) István Szent-Iványi (former Member of the Hungarian Parliament, 1990-2004) Moderator: Erik Uszkiewicz (vice-chairman, Hungarian Europe Society) 12.45 Student challenge Máté Bozóky (winner of the Hungarian essay competition) 12.55 Concluding remarks István Hegedűs (chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest) Please note that the language of the event is English and no translation will be provided. This event is being video recorded for archival, educational and related promotional purposes. By attending or participating in this event you are giving your consent to the video recording. Please note that proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for in-person participation.

Uncertain Times: The Future of Trans-Atlantic Relations from the Perspective of NGOs and Think Tanks in Central Europe and Hungary Online international conference Monday, 27 September 2021 WATCH THE CONFERENCE RECORDINGS ON HES'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL The Hungarian Europe Society has provided a platform for political analysts, policy experts, intellectuals, civil society activists and citizens from the Central European region, the European Union and the United States of America in order to analyse new global trends and seek solutions to current political, cultural and economic dilemmas. At our forthcoming event we intend to discuss with our guests the growing challenges of great power politics and their security implications, inequality in all its forms and the need of economic recovery, climate change as well as the pressure of anti-liberal, populist forces in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This conference is also a closing event of our webinar series held in 2020-21 under the same title. Program (CET) 10.30-10.45 Welcome address István Hegedűs (Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest) 10.45-12.15 I. Morning session: The future of the international order (first part) Veronica Anghel (Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University - School of Advanced International Studies; Max Weber Fellow, European University Institute, Florence): The Future of the Trans-Atlantic Relations Roland Freudenstein (Policy Director, Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, Brussels; from 1 October 2021: Vice President of GLOBSEC and Head of GLOBSEC Brussels): Trans-Atlantic Relations, Values and Great Power Politics in Central Europe Thibault Muzergues (Author of the forthcoming book “War in Europe?”): The Future of the International Order, and Europe’s Place in It Moderator: István Hegedűs (Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest) 12.15-13.30 Online lunch break 13.30-14.45 II. Afternoon session: The Future of the International Order (second part) Julie Smith - Baroness Smith of Newnham (Fellow in Politics and Graduate Tutor at Robinson College, Cambridge, Member of the House of Lords, London): Global Europe, Global Britain Oana Popescu-Zamfir (Director, GlobalFocus Center, Bucharest, Europe's Futures Fellow, Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen, Vienna): Global Order and Geopolitics Jacek Kucharczyk (President of the Executive Board, Institute of Public Affairs, Warsaw): The Future of Central Europe Inside the European Union and Globally Moderator: István Hegedűs (Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest) III. Presentations 14.45-15.15 Benjamin de Cleen: (Associate Professor at the Department of Communication Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel): When Populism Meets Nationalism: Understanding the Limited and Specific Role of Populism 15.15-15.45 Petra Bárd (Visiting Professor, Researcher, Central European University, Research Affiliate, CEU Democracy Institute, Budapest/Frankfurt am Main): The Future of the Rule of Law and Its Current Challenges in Hungary Moderator: Erik Uszkiewicz (Vice-chairperson, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest) Short Break 16.00-16.30 Louisa Slavkova (Co-founder & Managing Partner, The CIVICS Innovation Hub, Sofia): Civic Education in the European Union 16.30-17.00 Zsolt Darvas (Senior Fellow, Bruegel,Brussels, Senior Research Fellow, Corvinus University of Budapest): The Future of Sustainable Economic Development 17.00-17.30 Daniel C. Hallin (Distinguished Professor, Department of Communication, University of California, San Diego): The Future of Media Freedom 17.30-18.00 Naja Bentzen (Policy analyst, European Parliamentary Research Service Liaison at European Parliament Office in Washington D.C., fellow, the German Marshall Fund of the United States): The Future of Truth and Facts Moderator: Erik Uszkiewicz (Vice-chairperson, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest) Short Break 18.15-18.45 Jan-Werner Müller (Professor of Politics, Princeton University): The Critical Infrastructure of Democracy 18.45-19.15 Ákos Róna-Tas (Professor at the Sociology Department at the University of California, San Diego): Globalization, Democracy and the Nation States Moderator: István Hegedűs (Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest) 19.45 Farewell Remarks István Hegedűs (Chairman, Hungarian Europe Society, Budapest)   This event is part of the "Uncertain Times: The Future of Trans-Atlantic Relations from the Perspective of NGOs and Think Tanks in Central Europe and Hungary" project which is supported by the Embassy of the United States of America in Budapest. The conference is also supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. This event is being video recorded for archival, educational, and related promotional purposes. By attending or participating in this event, you are giving your consent to the video recording. Please note that the language of the event is English and no translation will be provided.