Premiere!
Jan Carson and Iryna Vidanava in conversation

The Debates Digital series kicks off with two essays published on Thursday, 4 June 2020, followed by a live discussion on YouTube between Belfast-based author Jan Carson and Belarusian journalist Iryna Vidanava on Tuesday, 9 June at 7pm CEST.

Since its inception in 2012, the series Debates on Europe has been hosted in places where the idea of Europe is at stake. In international discussion forums organized in cooperation with local actors – mainly in eastern and south-eastern Europe – it addresses the most pressing issues on the European agenda. By supporting civil society in places where this is still emerging or under pressure it furthers free and open debate on cultural, social and political issues.

Gathering leading writers, scholars, experts and representatives from politics and civil society, the Debates on Europe aim to contribute to the exchange of arguments and experiences between East and West. They comprise public debates as well as internal sessions, and personal meetings beyond the official programme are regarded just as important as the deliberations taking place in panel discussions and round-table talks.

“What do we talk about when we talk about Europe?” asked the Belgrade Debate on Europe in 2014. The answer to that question differs depending on whether it comes from within or from without the European Union – or even between different parts of the EU. That insight is at the core of all Debates on Europe.