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Institute for Critical Social Studies presents on the
occasion of its 15th anniversary:
Post-democratic Europe: A New
Conception or a Side Effect?
lecture by Prof. Rastko Mocnik
EU countries undertook to draw the constitutional contract with
the initial intention to enhance the cohesion of the union and
its operational capacity. However, as the discussions during
the process of its composition mainly focused upon the quotas
of particular countries' representations in various bodies,
upon the requested simple or qualified majorities that are to
carry the power of decision, etc., the result was quite the
opposite: return of the nation state into the centre of EU construction,
re-appearance of the divides between the big and the small states,
the old and the new members, etc. Reactions of European political
classes to the defeat of the constitution at referendums in
France and the Netherlands only made it apparent how far EU
is from its peoples. Initially meant to pacify Europe through
economic unity, EU is now setting its countries one against
the other in economic competition. Initially perceived by its
peoples as a guarantee of the European social model, EU is now
the main political agent of the erosion of national social models.
The presentation will try to explain these contradictions between
expectations and realities, intentions and effects with the
hypothesis that it is not political unwillingness to come to
some sort of agreement that is presently immobilising EU – but
an intellectual incapacity to discern the various global processes
and their conjunctures that create an unexpected situation for
Europe as well as for humanity in general. The kind of future
we are to expect is therefore directly dependent upon the kind
of Europe we are able to construct.
January 15 (Monday), 6.00 p.m.
Red hall
In English, with consecutive translation into Bulgarian.
Invitations only
Limited ticket availability upon previous reservation: 2/1 BGN
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