Call to Europe – Prague edition

Addressing the crises: costs, COVID-19, climate, and conflict

The European Union is at a difficult crossroads. As member states attempt to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought about new challenges as living costs skyrocket.

National governments and welfare systems face new pressures and require greater support from the EU. In this context, how can the EU strengthen integration and support national governments in tackling the current and emerging crises? 

The Foundation for European Progressive Studies, Masarykova Demokratická Akademie, and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung organised this year’s Call to Europe Conference in Prague. We brought together current and former progressive policymakers, academic experts, and activists to discuss not only the current state of play for Social Europe but also how European social and economic policy should be shaped moving forward so that all Europeans can have a decent quality of life.

A panel of experts debated how to address the crisis of living costs we currently face. The discussion was followed by a keynote speech from EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit. 

FEPS member foundations were invited to join a meeting prior to the public conference, during which a discussion on social democracy in central and Eastern Europe took place. This was then followed by a closed-door roundtable on the energy crisis in the afternoon.

During the event, László Andor, FEPS Secretary General, presented his latest work ‘Europe’s social integration’. This book examines the four factors that have challenged the fate of welfare states and social standards in Europe: neoliberal globalisation, monetary union, Eastern enlargement and digitalisation. 

Speakers

Nicolas Schmit, EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights 

• Daniela Ostrá, Vice-chair of the Czech Social Democratic Party 
• László Andor, Secretary General, FEPS 
• Urban Überschär, Head of FES Czech Republic and Slovakia Office 
• Katya Koleva, President, Institute for Social Integration 
• Karel Polanecký, Friends of the Earth CZ 
• Matthias Ecke, Member of the European Parliament 
• Cecilia Bruzelius, Junior Professor of European Public Policy, Tübingen University 
• Lubomír Zaorálek, President of Masarykova Demokratická Akademie (MDA)
• Josef Středula, Chair of Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS)
• Daniel Prokop, Sociologist and researcher at PAQ Research 
• Vladimír Špidla, Former Czech Prime Minister, Former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities
• Saša Uhlová, Journalist, internet daily Alarm

Moderated by Lubomír Zaorálek, President of MDA and David Rinaldi, FEPS Director of Studies and Policy

Q&A with the audience moderated by Patrik Eichler, Director, Masaryk Democratic Academy