Panel discussion Central Europe: Where Europe’s Future Is Decided

Panel discussion Central Europe: Where Europe’s Future Is Decided

On 13 June 2026, IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer moderated a high-level panel discussion at the Volt Europe General Assembly in Bratislava, bringing together leading voices from across Central Europe to debate the region’s role in shaping theEuropean Union’s future. 

Under the title “Central Europe: Where Europe’s Future Is Decided”, the panel featured Magda Vášáryová (Slovak diplomat and former Ambassador), Anna Donáth (Hungarian former MEP, Momentum), and Mikuláš Peška (Volt Czech Republic),offering perspectives from three countries at the heart of current European debates. 

The conversation addressed democratic backsliding and resilience across the region, the geopolitical reorientation prompted by Russia’s war against Ukraine, and what Central European societies expect – and demand – from European integration. Panelists also reflected on the role of pro-European civic movements in rebuilding trust between citizens and EU institutions. 

At the end Schäffer asked the panelists if the title of the discussion is rather a promise or a warning, concluding with a clear answer: both.