The Issue of Identity:
Visions of European Integration in V4 and Nordic Countries
September 29–30, 2025
Venue: University of Pécs, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ifjúság St. 6, Pécs, Hungary
Join the meeting in-person or online
The conference brings historians, political scientists, IR scholars, and social psychologists together to examine how identity influences support for European integration in Central Europe and Nordic Countries. Over two days, sessions explore historical perspectives on identity and integration, the balance between EU-level cooperation and national decision-making, and regional dynamics in a changing world order. Furthermore, social-psychological mechanisms such as memory, emotions, and victimhood beliefs are also discussed regarding how the past influences contemporary Euroscepticism and East–West orientations.
Programme (pdf)
Monday 29
8:30-8:45 Opening and Welcome Address by Krisztián Bene, Dean and Orsolya Vincze, Project Lead
8:45-9:10:05 Historical Perspectives on Sovereignty, Federalism, and Cultural Transfers: Central and Nordic Experiences (Chair: Peter Stadius)
8:45 Bernd Christoph Ströhm: Nation, Empire, and Identity: Central Europe’s Struggle for Sovereignty and Unity
9:05 Peter Stadius: Nordic exceptionalism and European integration
9:25 Jana Lainto: Scandinavian Horizons: Arnošt Vilém Kraus and Czech-Scandinavian Cultural Transfers at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
9:45 János Perényi: National and European identity in the speeches of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
10:05 - 10:20 coffee break
10:20-11:40 Identity and Regional Cooperation in a Changing World Order (Chair: István Tarrósy)
10:20 István Tarrósy: Questions of Identity and Emotion in Contemporary International Politics and the Changing World Order
10:40 Zoltán Vörös: Dependencies and Nationalisms in an Orderless World Order – The V4 and the EU in the 21st Century
11:00 Andrea Schmidt: Long live Visegrad? Reshaped Integration Models in Central and Eastern Europe in the Crossroads of Changing Political Environments
11:20 Arthur Marcin Lorek: Central Europe Reimagined: Identity Alignment and Norm Localisation in 3SI
11:40-13:00 lunch
13:00-14:20 Europe’s Future between Sovereignty, Federalism, and Regionalism (Chair: Gabriel Székely)
13:00 Gabriel Székely: Federalism vs. sovereignty in Europe from the perspective of political scientists
13:20 Maradyk Nataliya: Sovereignty, Federalism, and Regional Identity in a Changing Europe
13:40 Zoltán Gál: Is the V4 the growth engine of Europe? Geopolitical & geoeconomic challenges in Central & Eastern Europe
14:00 Csilla Dömök: Europe today- on the road to integration from nationalism to regionalism
14:20- 14:35 coffee break
14:35-16:00 Discussion of Next Steps in the Visegrad Project: Systematic Review and Educational Materials
18:30 dinner
Tuesday 30
8:30 – 10:55 Framing the Past, Choosing the Future: At the Crossroads of National Identity and European Integration (Chair: Adrian Woijcik)
8:30 Michał Główczewski: Social representations of history, historical narratives, and collective nostalgia as antecedents of Eurosceptic attitudes among European citizens
8:50 Paszkál Kiss: Forged by Conflicts: Collective Emotions, Moral Dilemmas, and European/national Identity
9:10 Zsolt P. Szabó: Why Groups Respond Differently to Victimhood: Toward a Pattern-Based Approach to Collective Victimization Beliefs
9:30 Adrian Woijcik: Trans-Europe Express: Psychological roots of the link between National Identification and European integration
9:50 Orsolya Vincze, Jovan Ivanovic, Milos Jevtic, Zsolt P. Szabó, István Csertő, Sarah Y. Choi: From Freedom-Frame of History to Geopolitical Orientation: Identity-Contingent Paths via EU Attitude.
10:10-10:25 coffee break
10:25- Doctoral Works-in-Progress (Chair: Orsolya Vincze)
10:25 Sára Papp: Patterns of Collective Victimhood Beliefs and their effect on European and V4 integration
10:45 Barbara Tóth and Subas Amjad: System Justification and Collective Victimhood in Perceiving Threats from the War in Ukraine vs. EU Sanctions, and Links to EU-Scepticism.
11:05 Nikolett Kormos and Sara Bigazzi: Alternative self-concepts in the context of changing intergroup relations in Victor Orban's speeches
11:25 Marcell Fehérvári: Reevaluating European Identity: A Systematic Literature Review of Measurement Approaches.
11:45 – 12:00 Closing section
Project partners:
- University of Pécs - Pécs, Hungary
- Vienna School of International
- University of Helsinki
- University of Prešov
- Nicolaus Copernicus
This project aims to examine the dynamic interplay between sovereignty and federalism within the European integration through an interdisciplinary lens. It fosters scientific discourse on this crucial topic, engaging policymakers and developing a collaborative public lecture, which will be available to any educational institution interested in the subject.
Our project focuses on the vision of European integration and the complex relationship between sovereignty and federalism, with particular emphasis on the V4 countries (i.e., Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) compared with Nordic countries (i.e., Finland and Sweden).
Visegrad countries, which regained sovereignty post-communism, have been especially cautious about ceding power to EU institutions. Following the 2004 eastward enlargement, V4 countries have often weighed the benefits of federalism, like economic stability, against concerns over losing national control. Recent crises such as the 2008 economic and migration crisis have intensified these debates and severe internal conflicts, including growing nationalism, populism and new protectionism, making the balance of power between EU institutions and member states a critical topic for both academic exploration and public discourse. Despite the importance of the debate, educational institutions might not have sufficient resources or forums to explore these issues in depth, resulting in limited public discourse. Our goal is to change this situation by fostering broader scientific dialogue on the interplay between sovereignty and federalism, helping to bridge the gap between scholarly research, policy implementation, and public understanding.
The European integration, especially the themes of federalism and sovereignty, involves multifaceted political, social, and historical issues, and different disciplines offer varied frameworks and methodologies for analysing problems. Integrating these perspectives allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the nuances and complexities involved in this issue, and the analysis becomes enriched and more robust.
Thus, as a first step, the project aims to develop an interdisciplinary scientific collaboration among political scientists, historians, researchers working on international relations, and social psychologists to gain a deeper understanding of the issue. The project also intends to engage policymakers in this process and create a connection between scientific and policy knowledge and experiences by encouraging dialogue between scientists and decision-makers. Through this collaboration, we aim to educate university students, especially aspiring diplomats, and foster informed discussions that balance national sovereignty with the benefits of European federal cooperation. By developing a well-structured joint lecture (comprised of online lectures and an offline complementary educational toolkit), we can ensure that citizens and future policymakers deeply understand these issues, promoting policies rooted in a comprehensive knowledge of sovereignty and federalism within the European context.
The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
