On 16 October, the nationwide scientific conference “Where Are You, Europe?” was held at the headquarters of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU) in Kraków. The event was devoted to assessing the state of contemporary Europe and its capacity to address the challenges arising from a rapidly changing international environment. It brought together leading scholars and experts specialising in geopolitics, demography, economics, culture, and European integration.

The conference aimed to provide a comprehensive ‘state of Europe’ review and to encourage reflection on the continent’s future in the context of global transformations. Participants discussed Europe’s role in the world, its development potential, resilience in the face of contemporary crises, and prospects for further integration.

Researchers from the Institute of European Studies at the Jagiellonian University played an active role in the discussions. Dr Karolina Czerska-Shaw delivered a paper entitled “From Migration to Mobilisation: The Role of Migrants in the Development of Civic Ecosystems in Europe”. Prof. Bożena Gierat-Bieroń chaired the panel “Europe’s Cultural and Political Vitality”, which also featured Prof. Katarzyna Zielińska from the Institute of Sociology at the Jagiellonian University, who presented a paper entitled “The Future of the EU in the Light of Research on Political Narratives in Selected European Countries”.

The conference was organised by the PAU Commission on European Affairs in cooperation with the Centre for Europe, University of Warsaw, and the Faculty of International and Political Studies, Jagiellonian University. The event was co-funded by the Centre for Europe at the University of Warsaw and the Future Democracy Lab project, implemented under the Excellence Initiative – Research University programme at the Jagiellonian University.