Beginning in April 2011, CSS held a series of public debates on important questions facing Europe and the European Union. Vigorous public discourse is a useful way to engage citizens on European issues and allows for better understand on the political, economic, ethnic, and religious problems within Europe. These debates coincided with Hungary holding the rotating European Union presidency from January-June 2011. This initiative was supported, in part, by the Allianz Kulturstiftung.

Past Debates:

Should the EU have a common military? (June 27, 2011)
The final debate of this season centered around the question of  European security. Arguing in the affirmative were Lt. Zoltán Szenes (Zrinyi Miklós University) and Zoltán Gálik (Corvinus University). Arguing in opposition were former US Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker (SAIS, CTR) and Csaba Törő(Hungarian Institute for International Affairs).

Should Europe’s Energy Future Include Nuclear Power? (June 15, 2011)
The third of the CSS Europe Debate Series focused on European energy security. The disaster of Fukushima and the recent decision by Germany to shut down its nuclear power plants and turn its energy sector nuclear free, renewed the attention to this decades old question, “Should Europe’s Energy Future Include Nuclear Power?” András Deák (Center for EU Enlargement Studies), Ada Ámon (Energiaklub) and Michael LaBelle (Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Policy) addressed the question of Europe’s energy dependency and whether it should include nuclear power during their remarks.

Does Immigration Threaten European Identity? (June 8, 2011)
The second debate of our CSS Europe Debate Series focused on European identity. Our debaters, Ágnes Heller (Philosopher), Erzsébet Nagyné Rózsa (Hungarian Institute of International Affairs), Péter Krekó (Political Capital), and Gergely Egedy (Corvinus) addressed the centuries old question about the struggle of Christianity and Islam for the “old continent”.

Is There an East-West Divide in the European Union? (April 12, 2011)
Marion Smith moderated a debate between two young scholars, Gergely Romsics (research fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs) and András Rácz (research fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs), who addressed the economic, cultural and historical differences of the new and old member states.