Polish perspectives on European integration

Special event as part of ‘The Churchill Europe Symposium 2018’ in collaboration with the Europa Institut at the University of Zurich (EIZ).
Welcome address by State Secretary Roberto Balzaretti, head of the Directorate for European Affairs (EDA).

Statement of the speaker on his lecture:
The Future of Europe: The Foundations of Unity of the States of Europe

When the concepts of European integration were born, not all European nations were able to make independent choices regarding their future. The forcefully imposed Iron Curtain had such far-reaching consequences that when after the fall of communism Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe started the natural process of their reintegration with the West, not only did they have to overcome the geopolitical rift, but also fight against misunderstandings and the false stereotype of their cultural otherness.

At the time of a vigorous debate about the future of Europe, the political rhetoric of some of today’s leaders echoes prejudices rooted in the Iron-Curtain-era Europe, thus recreating false divisions on the continent.

President Andrzej Duda will present his vision of the future of European integration, which needs to be based on the three pillars of equality, morality and freedom.