Visions for Europe 2019

Press release by the Robert Schuman Institute (Budapest)

The Robert Schuman Institute (Budapest) works since 1991 as the political education center for parties and politicians of the European People’s Party, with special focus on Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. After 5 years the RSI has again convened 120 selected alumni for a reunion conference in Budapest, 12-13 October, to sound the views and propositions of the new generations of center right politicians.

RSI President Doris Pack MEP opened the event, with keynotes following from Kinga Gál MEP, EPP Vice President and Zsolt Németh MP, Vice Chair of the EPP Group in PACE. All of the presentations in 3 parallel panels were delivered by former RSI participants who were coming from Armenia, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo, Hungary, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia Slovakia and Ukraine. The main aim was to discuss the immediate future challenges facing Europe in 2019, including consequences of Brexit, new institutional leadership and policy agendas inside the EU, the implications for Western Balkans enlargement and Eastern Partnership, as well as ways of strengthening the mainstream democratic center-right parties by better involving citizens, especially millennials and women. At the same time the event reflected on the accomplishments and upcoming tasks of the center-right’s education and training efforts for democracy building in the region.

György Hölvényi MEP of the Hungarian Delegation of the EPP Group delivered the concluding address, reviewing the anticipations from the Helsinki Congress of EPP, the stakes and scenarios of the 2019 European Parliamentary elections as well as encouraging words for seizing the opportunities and responsibilities for participation in public life by the youth.

For further information on RSI or the event contact [email protected]