Thread by @tepsaeu

🇸🇮 #PPCLjubljana DAY 2 is kicking off as we speak! Join us LIVE on #Zoom for our first panel of the day, from the #InDivEU Project!

As always, we are highlighting the key takeaways here, so stay with us for #PPCLjubljana day 2!💪

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Our first panel of the day is all about #DifferentiatedIntegration and the #FutureofEurope: @MichaelKaeding (@unidue) is moderating the discussion between Sandra Kröger (#InDivEU/@UniofExeter), @bonomimat (@IdeaEu/@IAIonline), and Magdalena Góra (#EU3D/@JagiellonskiUni)

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We are also going to enjoy a keynote also from @dubravkasuica, VP of the @EU_Commission

"In our work on democracy, the #CoFoE is a process to bring all Europeans together"

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"This year, we defined our work on children's' rights for the coming years, with the objective to improving child rights across the continent, supporting and protecting them"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission

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"My sincere thanks to #EU2021SI for making the #CoFoE one of your priorities: citizens are not an object of democracy, they are participants"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission

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"The majority of opportunities for citizens to make their voices hear are taking place during the Slovenian Presidency"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission

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"There are nine key topics to debate, ranging from climate change to culture, with the open box for citizens to discuss other topics"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission

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"I encourage Member States to report back the views of their citizens to the #CoFoE, reaching every corner of our Union - urban and rural"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission

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"Citizens can participate in plenaries on an equal footing with the EU Institutions and national Parliaments"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission on the #CoFoE plenaries

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"I thank the Slovenian Presidency for making children's rights a priority of the Presidency"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission

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"Together we can do much that would not be possible by any Member States alone. Together we make democracy fit for the future [...] #CoFoE is a good place to start. Together, we make sure no one is left behind"

- @dubravkasuica, Vice-President of the @EU_Commission

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Did you know #PPCLjubljana's report will be published as part of the #CoFoE? We're taking @dubravkasuica's words, giving European citizens the voice in the #FutureofEurope

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We now turn to @MichaelKaeding to introduce our panel, made up of representatives of all the @EU_H2020 projects working on #DifferentiatedIntegration: Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU, @bonomimat from @IdeaEu, and Magdalena Góra from #EU3D

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"What are the main benefits and risks of #DifferentiatedIntegration?"

- Sandra Kröger begins her presentation with a recap

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"DI is a pragmatic compromise to push towards more integration, it can provide efficient policy solutions, and allows for Europe's heterogeneity"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU

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"On the other hand, DI makes it more difficult for the EU27 to find compromises for bigger problems, creates centrifugal dynamics, can create legal fragmentation and potential domination by the more integrated countries"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU

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But what does the public think about #Differentiation? Sandra Kröger draws on a study into @EurobarometerEU data which concludes that there are differences between the political wings: the right is more supportive, the left is less supportive

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"In the Southern countries (Greece, Spain and Portugal in particular), citizens are much more sceptical of DI than in the North, and total reversal since the 2008 crisis"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU

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"And in the political parties, there was a fairly even split, showing how divisive is the concept of DI"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU

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"Normative concerns related to solidarity, equality, and the rule of law are significant critiques of #DifferentiatedIntegration as a concept"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU

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"There is very strong support among citizens to not letting #RuleofLaw become a part of #DifferentiatedIntegration"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU highlights the public respect for Rule of Law

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"Do party actors believe #RuleofLaw is a key part of the EU's effectiveness? Do they believe it is part of the EU's democratic legitimacy? Over 90% agree"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU explains why #RuleofLaw is so important

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"It is important to take diverging perceptions of DI into account, as well as the cleavages between the right and the left"

- Sandra Kröger from #InDivEU concludes her intervention

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We now move on from the #InDivEU project to the @IdeaEu project, with @bonomimat from @IAIonline to talk about his research into #DifferentiatedIntegration

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"While it is important to take citizens' answers in to consideration via the #CoFoE, I also believe we should pay attention to what questions we ask them"

- @bonomimat from @IdeaEu & @IAIonline

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"Can the #CoFoE be a viable tool for reform? I think we all hope so, and the difficulties we had in organising the conference shows how the EU needs reform"

- @bonomimat from @IdeaEu & @IAIonline

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"#CoFoE will be a success based on two key issues: we need clarity about what is asked to the citizens, and how their answer is taking into consideration by the Institutions"

- @bonomimat from @IdeaEu & @IAIonline

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"For EU IDEA project, differentiation is a necessary step towards a common political project and a devise to make the EU a more relevant, effective and legitimate actor. #CoFoE is the right setting to delineate such a project"

- @bonomimat from @IdeaEu & @IAIonline

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After his fascinating input, @bonomimat gives the floor back to our moderator @MichaelKaeding, who takes the opportunity to highlight himself the importance of the #CoFoE before we turn to Magdalena Góra from #EU3D

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"#CoFoE has brought about an intensive process of consultations with citizens on reforms of the EU. Yet the Conference is situated within a broader context of debate that matters to the very understanding and assessment of the Conference"

- Magdalena Góra, #EU3D

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"We need to pay explicit attention to how it interacts with other ongoing reform debates, in terms of ideas, actors and themes"

- Magdalena Góra, from @EU3Dh2020 & @JagiellonskiUni

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Magdalena Góra's analysis suggests many European countries agree on what problems the EU faces, but disagree significantly on what the solutions should be to those problems

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"In relation to #Brexit, we also need to consider our relationship with our neighbours"

- Magdalena Góra, from @EU3Dh2020 & @JagiellonskiUni, comments on external relations for Europe

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"Eurosceptic actors and populists could pose a threat to #CoFoE"

- Magdalena Góra, from @EU3Dh2020 & @JagiellonskiUni, discusses the risk of #CoFoE being co-opted by purposefully disruptive anti-European forces

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"The hopes of citizens must be satisfied with tangible results. The risk is that populists use a potential lack of action as evidence against the EU"

- Magdalena Góra, from @EU3Dh2020 & @JagiellonskiUni, warns against the risk of not delivering on the #CoFoE

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Our moderator @MichaelKaeding (@unidue) now opens the floor to questions -> if you've got anything to ask our great panel of experts on #DifferentiatedIntegration, the #InDivEU panel of #PPCLjubljana is your chance!

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"It is very heartening that the #RuleofLaw is thought of so highly by European citizens, as it is so linked to the values of the European Union. It would be dangerous to allow any kind of flexibility in this area"

- A great early response from the participants

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"If #CoFoE is the only exercise with no follow-up, we risk alienating European citizens"

- Magdalena Góra, from @EU3Dh2020 & @JagiellonskiUni, explains the importance not only of listening to citizens, but also of ensuring citizens know they have been listened to

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If you'd like to to hear more about the three projects highlighted here, you can follow them all: #InDivEU, @IdeaEu, and @EU3Dh2020

Or you can check out the umbrella concept where these three projects are collected ➡️ @dice_h2020

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This brings an end to our Plenary Session on #DifferentiatedIntegration and the #FutureofEurope, a panel organised in the framework of the #InDivEU project

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Thanks to our great panel: @MichaelKaeding (@unidue), Sandra Kröger (#InDivEU and @UniofExeter), @bonomimat (@IdeaEu and @IAIonline), and Magdalena Góra (@EU3Dh2020 and @JagiellonskiUni)

Thanks also to @EU_Commission Vice President @dubravkasuica for her great keynote!

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Tune back in at 11:00 for our pair of Parallel Sessions: "The Western Balkans and the Eastern Neighbourhood" and "European Strategic Autonomy"

Stay tuned to #PPCLjubljana! 💪🇸🇮

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We're back for the parallel sessions of #PPCLjubljana Day 2!

Our first session is all about #enlargement in the #WesternBalkans and the EU in the #EasternNeighbourhood

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The other parallel session of #PPCLjubljana day 2 is an important one: what should the EU's role be in the world? What are Europe's powers and weaknesses? Can the EU be a global player?

What is European #StrategicAutonomy?

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What are the highlights of the #StrategicAutonomy plenary at #PPCLjubljana

Well, we started with Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas:

“#StrategicAutonomy comes from the defence world, where it is an established concept”

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“#StrategicAutonomy is a bit like an elephant: hard to describe, but everyone knows what it is”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“#StrategicAutonomy is the ability to remain open while maintaining the capacity to act autonomously of need be”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“We are vulnerable to others, and others are vulnerable to us. If others seek to weaponise our vulnerability, we need the ability to defend ourselves from this”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“Yes to openness, yes to multilateralism, no to naivete”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“The best way to start is to look at why this debate arose in the first place: in a context of crises which revealed weaknesses in the EU”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“#StrategicAutonomy is the freedom to act, the freedom from over-dependence”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“It is not autarchy, it is not protectionism, it is not an attack on NATO. Defense is an important part of it, but it is not the place to start”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“If you want to do something about #StrategicAutonomy, you have to look at all policies, including internal policies”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“The word ‘autonomy’ is actually quite clear, but it is so obvious that it begs the question: why has understanding #StrategicAutonomy become an issue now?”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“If the word is obvious, and it relates to a project that has been with us for a long time, why has it become a watchword in Europe?”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“In the past, we lived in a broad international liberal order premised on the hegemony of the USA, but now that world has clearly changed: there are a number of international actors that do want to harm our interests”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“I don’t really buy that we should be careful with #StrategicAutonomy because of the United States”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“The risks are there, and it is a task to walk the fine line between protection and protectionism”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“It is not autarchy, it is not isolation. These are important elements of #StrategicAutonomy to consider”

- @NHelwig from @FIIA_fi

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“There is a huge difference between wanting more autonomy and wanting to isolate yourself and walk away”

- @NHelwig from @FIIA_fi

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“The competition between the US and China risks putting the EU between a rock and a hard place, especially when we think of European businesses operating in both markets”

- @NHelwig from @FIIA_fi

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“Technological transformation is also a driver of #StrategicAutonomy, raising a lot of questions about innovation, disruption, and the world of work”

- @NHelwig from @FIIA_fi

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“Yes, there might be certain industries that need to be strategically shielded from international competition, and we do need to protect our values, but this is just one element”

- @NHelwig from @FIIA_fi

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“We can reach autonomy by shaping the global environment, and the EU is very active already in the multilateral system”

- @NHelwig from @FIIA_fi

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“In many areas we have autonomy because we are the biggest economy in the world. It is not a problem to have discussions before we reach a decision”

- @CloosJim explains the strengths of Europe in the world

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“Pretending we are going to create autonomy in hard defense is an illusion”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“I fear the recreation of a world of blocs: the west against the rest, because I fear the result could be an alliance of Russia and China”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“If you look at the state of the EU in 2008 and today, we are actually much more integrated, so I am very much in favour of a very serious and systematic analysis of our various policies”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“We need to seek multilateralism wherever we can, but there will be areas where this is impossible. We should have the ability to stand up for ourselves”

- @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

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“European views on China have hardened in recent years. We looked at the Belt and Road Initiative as relatively benign. We now appreciate the strategic edge of China”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“There is still a difference with the United States, which takes a harder line towards China that Europe”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“#StrategicAutonomy is about choosing where we stand, not being told by the United States”

- @NathalieTocci, @IAIonline

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“We don’t even know what to do about #Belarus, let alone #China”

- @NathalieTocci from @IAIonline critiques the European approach to the world as it currently exists: “we are behind the curve”

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“We always underline the importance of values in international relations. On the other hand, where the rubber meets the road, there is an uneasy balance between interests and values”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“There is a ‘G2’ dimension: we should not be instrumentalised in this battle”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“We only have one planet. It would be insane to say we won’t work together on #ClimateAction with China and Russia. This is an area that doesn’t lend itself to tactical considerations”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“We are a green superpower. Yes, that gives us leverage. On the other hand, even though we are #ClimateAction leaders, leverage is multi-faceted, and a non-green superpower like the US has more power to influence policy in third countries”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas

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“We thus need to ensure we have #StrategicAutonomy in the energy transition”

- Mark Vanheukelen from @eu_eeas concludes his intervention on the EU as a green superpower

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“The US pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal was one of the big wakeup calls for European #StrategicAutonomy”

- @NHelwig from @FIIA_fi

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And if you’re interested in learning more about European #StrategicAutonomy, then be sure to tune into the upcoming episode of #EuropeChats!

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And what about our fascinating panel on the #WesternBalkans and #EasternNeighbourhood?

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Irena Pandeca from @UKIMedu opened the panel: "The current state of affairs on the North Macedonian file is not optimistic. It resembles a daily routine of a hamster in a wheel"

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"The past few years have been difficult for the Western Balkans and North Macedonia in particular due to #COVID19"

- Irena Pandeva from @UKIMedu

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"On the national front, North Macedonia has made enormous concessions, has shown capacity to compromise and conduct effort forms and continues reaffirming its dedication and preparedness to start accession talks"

- Irena Pandeva from @UKIMedu

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Yuriy Yakymenko from @PA3yMKOB gave the analysis of Ukraine: "this year Ukraine celebrates the 30th anniversary of its independence and more than 20 years we are living with this proclaimed goal of Ukraine’s accession to the EU"

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"In our view, general processes and trends in our region give us grounds of following conclusion that the European politics of neighborhood and EaP should be rethought and renewed"

- Yuriy Yakymenko from @PA3yMKOB

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"Today’s realities and challenges are high on the agenda in Ukraine with the question of EU policy in Eastern direction especially on political, economic and security spheres"

- Yuriy Yakymenko from @PA3yMKOB

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Florent Maciacq from @CIFE_EUstudies analysed the EU's approach to enlargement: "there are different kinds of ethical approaches of EU enlargement: first is utilitarianism, second is individual merits and the third is deontological approach to ethics"

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"The EU should engage because the accession is a peace project – when Member States joined to create the EU, they were waging colonial, imperial wars everywhere, but presenting the EU is the union of wiser nations"

- Florent Maciacq from @CIFE_EUstudies

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Calling back to the issue of #StrategicAutonomy, Peter Grk from @MZZRS suggested that "what we have right now in the enlargement process of the European Union is the absence of strategic decisions"

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"We are using tactical instruments because we haven’t really had the proper strategic discussion inside the European Union about why it’s necessary and important to bring these countries into the EU family"

- Peter Grk from @MZZRS

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"What #EU2021SI would like to do in the next 6 months is to send the signal of hope of enlargement and for that reason, start negotiations with #NorthMacedonia and #Albania"

- Peter Grk from @MZZRS

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And with this, we moved to the #PPCLjubljana for closing remarks, in which Lucia Morká, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board, and Maja Bucar from @FDVLjubljana praised the event as a truly open exchange of ideas between the public, policy-makers, and academics

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On a similar note, we would like to thank @FDVLjubljana for their efforts in organising the TEPSA Slovenian Pre-Presidency Conference #PPCLjubljana with us, and also all of our participants in the various panels, as well as the audience at home

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The next TEPSA Pre-Presidency Conference will be held to preview the French Presidency, which begins at the start of 2022

But for now, let's celebrate the start of #EU2021SI, which takes over the Rotating Presidency on July 1

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Finally, if you want to hear more from our participants, be sure to follow them and their organisations!

@AnzeLog & Gaspar Dovzan (@MZZRS), @FundaTekin17 (@IEP_Berlin), the whole team at @EngagEU_Project, @LouiseVanSchaik (@Clingendaelorg)...

Raffaele Mauro Petriccione (@EU_Commission), @JanezPotocnik22 (@SYSTEMIQ_Ltd), @borghesi_simone (@EUI_EU), @Ladeja68 (@CircularChange), @_PaulSchmidt (@oegfe), @Boettger_IEP (@IEP_Berlin), Alice Cunha (@iprinova), Hristo Panchugov (@NBUSofia)...

...@worleu (@URSIV_Slovenia), @AC_Europa (@EU_Commission), Vladlena Benson (@AstonUniversity), @IEBergant (@rtvslo), Céline Gauer (@EU_Commission), Peter Wostner (@UMAR_si), @miotei (@rielcano), Olivier Rozenberg (@SciencesPo_CEE), @MichaelKaeding (@unidue)...

...@dubravkasuica (@EU_Commission), Sandra Kröger (#InDivEU/@ResearchDI/@UniofExeter), @bonomimat (@IdeaEu/@IAIonline), Magdalena Góra (@EU3Dh2020/@JagiellonskiUni), Natasha Wunsch (@SciencesPo_CEE), Irena Pandeva (@UKIMedu), Yuriy Yakymenko (@PA3yMKOB)...

... Florent Marciacq (@CIFE_EUstudies), Marc Vanheukelen (@eu_eeas), @NathalieTocci (@IAIonline), @NHelwig (@FIIA_fi), and all our other partners and guests!

/ENDS

@threadreaderapp please unroll