Lecture Series | Ruth Ferrero-Turrión (Madrid) | Building Geopolitical Europe: Challenges and uncertainties

This talk forms part of the lecture series War. Peace. Security.organised by Dr Cindy Wittke (IOS Regensburg) with Dr Paul Vickers (ScienceCampus) and Prof. Ulf Brunnbauer (IOS Regensburg). The talk will be held in English.

Download the calender file here.

Abstract:

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU has faced several significant challenges. One of the biggest has been overcoming its dependencies, particularly in areas like military capabilities, supply chains, and energy security. Achieving strategic autonomy has become a top priority on the EU's political agenda. The EU's unanimous political response to Russia's aggression marked a historic moment in European integration, as decisions of this magnitude had never been made before.

In this lecture, I will highlight how quickly the EU has evolved in areas that were not at the forefront of the agenda before 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have fundamentally altered Europe's nature and goals. Reforms, the potential enlargement of the Union, reindustrialization efforts, and the creation of a European defense force are just some of the changes taking place. One of the major challenges is transforming the EU from a more passive actor into a more assertive one on the global stage. Another challenge lies in dealing with the crisis of liberal democracy that is affecting our societies.

These transformations are pushing Europe toward becoming something entirely different from what it has traditionally been. The key question is: what will be sacrificed during this transition?

Bio:

Ruth Ferrero-Turrión is a political scientist and expert in European Union politics, migration, asylum policies, and Eastern European affairs. She is an Associate Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and a Senior Researcher at the Complutense Institute for International Studies (ICEI) in Madrid. Her work spans research, teaching, and advisory roles, particularly in migration policy and democratization processes. Since 1996, she has also served as an International Observer in countries across Eastern and Southeastern Europe. She regularly collaborates with think tanks like Real Instituto Elcano, the Migration Policy Institute and Friedrich Ebert Foundation.