Croatia in the European Union: Round Table Debate on the Future of the Nation State

More than one hundred people came to SSEES on 1 November to listen to emerging critical voices from the Balkans debating the future of Europe on the occasion of Croatia’s accession to the European Union. 

Philosophers Renata Salecl and Srečko Horvat were joined by writers Tena Štivičić and Igor Štiks, and Costas Lapavitsas, an economist from SOAS, to discuss the implications of the current financial and economic crisis in the EU for both individual and national sovereignty. Having seen the demise of Yugoslavia, the speakers lamented how little, if anything, the European Union learnt from it. Scholarly analysis of the gravity of the current situation could have left the participants depressed had it not been for the performance of the Veda Slovena Bulgarian Choir and abundant reception featuring Croatian wine and regional specialties. 

The event, chaired by Bojan Aleksov, was jointly organised with the UCL European Institute.