International Scientific Conference – “Risks and Prospects for Europe”

On 13–14 May 2026, the Thirteenth International Scientific Conference “Risks and Prospects for Europe” was held at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The conference was organised by Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies and the Hanns Seidel Stiftung in cooperation with the European Studies Department at the Faculty of Philosophy of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The main focus of the conference was on the risks and opportunities facing the European Union in the context of economic, geopolitical, technological and social change.

Across the seven panels, discussions addressed:

• The EU’s response to polycrisis and questions of political maturity;

• Economic governance and strategic resilience;

• Security, defence and democratic resilience;

• Digital governance and disinformation;

• European values, society, education and culture; and EU enlargement and neighbourhood policies

• Education and culture;

• EU enlargement and neighbourhood policies.

The conference brought together professors and researchers from EU Member States, from candidate countries and countries – potential candidates for EU membership and countries that are part of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The objective was to provide a platform for academic exchange, fostering collaboration and deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that the European Union and its neighbours are facing in the dynamic global environment.