One of the most important Central Europe’s political science events returns to Vilnius

The main focus of the conference is regional security. Participants are going to hold extensive discussions on both internal and external challenges to security architecture in Central and Eastern Europe and prospects for co-operation in dealing with security matters. The topics to be considered in particular will include implications of recent economic crisis, rise of populism and political radicalism in the region, challenges for energy security as well as complexities of informational wars and cybersecurity.

Due heed will also be paid to current developments of military conflict in the Eastern Ukraine and Russia‘s attitude to European security architecture as well as the role of NATO and the European Union in solving the current security crisis in the region.

As this year will mark the 20th anniversary of the annual conference, there will be a unique opportunity to reflect evolution and the current state of political science in the region. For this occasion, it is planned to have a high-profile discussion between past and present CEPSA presidents on how studies of political processes in Central and Eastern Europe during the last two decades have contributed to empirical and normative understanding of politics both within and beyond the region.

The program committee members are Liutauras Gudžinskas, president of the Lithuanian Political Science Association and program chair, from Vilnius University, Daniel Bartha from the Hungarian Political Science Association, Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy, Miro Hacek from the Slovenian Political Science Association, University of Ljubljana, Vit Hlousek from the Czech Political Science Association, Masaryk University, Tomas Janeliūnas from Vilnius University, Agnieszka Kasinska-Metryka from the Polish Political Science Association, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Jūratė Novagrockienė from General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Andzej Puksto from Vytautas Magnus University of Kaunas, and Deividas Šlekys from Vilnius University.