Contemporary Europe is experiencing profound upheavals that challenge the very foundations of European integration and compel us to reflect anew on its future.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, ongoing for over three years, has not only transformed the continent’s security architecture but has also sparked a debate about the European Union’s role as a geopolitical actor.

At the same time, transatlantic relations—once regarded as the cornerstone of the European order—are being redefined amid political shifts in the United States and rising trade and technological tensions. China, as a global rival, poses a challenge not only to the U.S. but also to Europe’s economic, security, and technological autonomy strategies.

Within the European Union itself, we are witnessing a surge of populist tendencies that undermine the established mechanisms of solidarity and the rule of law, leading to growing tensions between European institutions and some member states. Simultaneously, new questions arise about the EU’s institutional capacity to act, its democratic legitimacy, and its ability to respond effectively to multidimensional crises—migration, climate, energy, health, and economic.

Against this backdrop, the 5th Congress of European Studies will serve as a space for interdisciplinary academic debate on how, in times of global transformation, the European Union can—and should—find its place in a changing world.
We warmly invite representatives of various academic disciplines: political scientists, lawyers, economists, sociologists, historians, philosophers, scholars of international relations, culture, and media, as well as practitioners of public life.

The Main Board of the Polish Association for European Studies is honored to invite you to take an active part in this important event, which we believe will not only bring together the community of European studies scholars but also contribute to a deeper understanding of current transformations and help lay the foundations for the future of the European project.