The CEU Center for EU Enlargement Studies and the CEU Rector’s Office cordially invite you to the roundtable discussion:

“EuroMaidan: Views from the Ground and Future Perspectives” 

February 21 (Friday) 2014 at 2.00 p.m.
CEU, Nádor 9, Monument Building, Popper Room

Citizens of Ukraine have been protesting on the capital’s Independence Square since November 2013, questioning their president’s decision on abandoning the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and opting for ever closer relations with Putin’s Russia. The ‘EuroMaidan’ protests opened a new chapter in relations among Ukraine, the European Union and Russia. Albeit the EU argued that its Eastern Partnership program is not making any partner countries choose between the EU and Russia, when tested on the ground, realities proved to be different and the conflicting views of the big powers can no longer be overlooked.

However, the root causes of the ‘EuroMaidan’ protests go beyond the country’s foreign policy orientation and reflect a deeper underlying conflict within the society, as well as among the citizenry and the governing elite. Following the draconic laws adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on January 16, the protests sank into violence causing several civilian deaths. Although the majority of these laws have later been repelled, finding a solution to overcome the internal turmoil is still further down the road.

The roundtable seeks to discuss the recent developments within the country and in the Ukraine–EU–Russia triangle by providing a forum for discussion to political analysts as well as activists from the ‘EuroMaidan.’

Opening remarks:
Péter Balázs, Director, Center for EU Enlargement Studies

Speakers:

• Iryna Bekeshkina, Director, Democratic Initiatives Foundation
• Kateryna Kruk, Political activist and journalist
• András Rácz, Assistant Professor, Pázmány Péter University
• László Póti, Senior Research Fellow, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs

Discussants:

• Margaryta Rymarenko, PhD Candidate, Central European University
• Margaryta Gorlo, MA Candidate, Central European University

Moderator:
Zsuzsanna Végh, Research Assistant, Center for EU Enlargement Studies

RSVP to Zsuzsanna Végh
veghzs@ceu.hu