Warsaw Forum on EU-Indo-Pacific Cooperation
April 1, 2025
Call for Papers for the International Conference at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Rome
“The Future of EU Enlargements: Challenging Illiberal Trends and Democracy Support”
7 November 2025 | Polish Academy of Sciences in Rome, Vicolo Doria 2
Organized by: Jagiellonian University, University of Warsaw, Justus Liebig University Giessen, and the Polish Academy of Sciences in Rome
As Poland prepares for its Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2025, this high-profile international conference invites students and early-career researchers to contribute to the debate on the EU’s future role in promoting democracy and addressing illiberal trends in its neighbourhood.
The conference provides an interdisciplinary platform to reflect on the challenges and opportunities tied to EU enlargement, focusing on democratic resilience, the impact of authoritarianism, regional dynamics, and the role of civil society. It will also mark the conclusion of the Horizon Europe SHAPEDEM-EU Project, evaluating EU democracy support in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods.
Key Themes Include:
- Mechanisms for democracy support in EU candidate countries
- Illiberalism and autocracy in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe
- Lessons from past enlargement waves
- Enlargement in the context of global challenges like climate change, migration, and great power rivalry
- Civil society and grassroots efforts in defending democratic norms
Submission Guidelines:
We welcome papers from a wide range of disciplines—political science, law, international relations, sociology, economics, and beyond.
Please submit your proposal in English by 31 May 2025 to mfijal@pan.pl.
Submissions should include:
- full name
- institutional affiliation
- title of your paper
- abstract (max. 300 words)
- short bio (max. 150 words)
- and contact info
Presentations: 15–20 minutes | In-person | Conference language: English
Registration is free | Selected papers will be considered for a future publication
For more information, please refer to the available PDF of the call for papers.
More info & questions: Dr. Małgorzata Fijał — mfijal@pan.pl | malgorzata.fijal@uj.edu.pl
Join us in shaping the conversation on the future of Europe!
