Europe’s Future on the Festival Stage – EU Strategy Debates with Our Institute’s Researchers
Researchers of the Europe Strategy Research Institute took part in several summer festivals where they joined various panel discussions on issues related to European strategy.
On July 17, 2025, at the Gombaszög Summer Camp, Institute Director Dr. Bernadett Petri participated in the panel discussion “EU Billions, National Will – Who Owns the Future Budget?”.
The panel opened with a lecture by Dr. Bernadett Petri, who emphasized that the current structure of the EU budget entails cuts in cohesion funds, which directly affect Hungarian nation-policy cooperation.
Participants agreed that real change can only be achieved through unity. The experiences of cross-border cooperation in Southern Slovakia show that joint efforts must be based on trust, mutual understanding, and support—hence it is vital that adequate resources remain available for these purposes in the future.
Between July 22 and 27, 2025, the Bálványos Summer Free University and Student Camp, more widely known as Tusványos, was held, where the head of institute, Dr. Bernadett Petri joined three panel discussions.
On July 23, in the panel “Bread and Chance – Domestic and EU Support for Civil Organizations,” moderated by Márta Benedek, grants expert, Dr. Bernadett Petri and Vivien Horváth, Program Director of the Hungarian Bread Foundation, explored how civil initiatives and charitable programs can find a place within the EU funding system.
The Hungarian Bread program is a unique charitable initiative, in which Hungarian farmers from across the Carpathian Basin donate part of their wheat harvest to provide flour for disadvantaged children and families. The program not only offers social support but also strengthens the sense of national unity.
The panel also examined how such initiatives could access EU-level funding and what governmental support currently sustains them. Participants agreed that regardless of how the next EU budget is shaped, everything must be done to ensure that Hungarian farmers, both within and beyond the borders, receive the support they deserve.
As Europe’s economic weight continues to decline and its competitiveness diminishes, many argue that EU funds no longer serve families, local communities, churches, or indigenous national minorities, but are instead directed toward ideological purposes. The Tusványos panel discussion on July 24, titled “Whose Money is Europe’s?” addressed precisely these questions.
Alongside Dr. Bernadett Petri, the panel featured Members of the European Parliament Enikő Győri and Viktória Ferenc (Fidesz–KDNP); Péter Kovács, Director General of the Hungary Helps Agency; Gergely Bogányi, Kossuth and Liszt Prize-winning pianist; and József Tóth, Secretary General of Christian Social Principles in Economics. The discussion was moderated by Katalin Zöldhegyi, Head of Communications at MFOI.
The panelists stressed that while the EU indeed faces genuine economic challenges, the deeper problem lies in the fact that under the new seven-year budget proposal, local communities and families are sidelined, while resources are increasingly allocated to politically motivated goals.
The ultimate message of the discussion was that patriotic forces must unite and strengthen the representation of Christian-conservative values in economic, political, and cultural fields alike. Achieving this requires conscious planning, cooperation, and the engagement of key social and economic actors.
On July 25, the panel “Stay Local? All Right!” examined the issue of youth retention in their home regions, drawing on the findings of Hungarian youth research.
The discussion brought together Dr. Bernadett Petri alongside Levente Székely, Director of the MCC Youth Research Institute; Pál László Rókusfalvy, Government Commissioner for National Wine Marketing; Zsófia Koncz, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation; Viktória Ferenc, MEP; and Szabolcs Erdős, founder of the Stay Local? All Right! program. The moderator was strategic advisor Gábor Héjja.
The panel underlined that if the EU wants to effectively support young people to remain in their home regions, it must think in terms of families rather than households. Particular attention was given to the EU’s “Right to Stay” program, which is still in its infancy but must be implemented as soon as possible, with adequate resources allocated in the next EU budget.
On August 2, 2025, a full-house audience gathered at the MCC Fest MOL Main Stage for the panel discussion “Old Continent, Weak Continent?” which focused on Europe’s future, competitiveness, and global role. Dr. Bernadett Petri joined Prof. Mária Schmidt, Széchenyi Prize-winning historian, Director General of the House of Terror Museum and the XXI Century Institute, as well as Oszkár Világi, Deputy CEO of MOL Group, to share insights with the audience.
The discussion revolved around the question of whether Europe is truly in decline, or merely seeking new forms in the face of global challenges. Participants highlighted that the continent is simultaneously struggling with economic, demographic, and geopolitical difficulties—aging societies, declining competitiveness, external dependencies, and internal divisions all characterize the current situation.
Panelists agreed that the key to Europe’s future lies in returning to realpolitik and economic rationality. They argued that the continent can only maintain its global relevance if it builds on the strength, sovereignty, and agency of its nations.
In addition, our researcher Viktória Lilla Pató took part on August 2 in the panel discussion “Is There a Way Out of the Mamahotel? – On Housing in Brief” at the MCC Fest in Esztergom.
In her contribution, she not only presented statistical data but also addressed policy developments, pointing out that when it comes to the age at which young people leave their parental homes, Europe shows a clear North-South divide: in Southern countries many remain in the family home well past the age of 30, whereas in Northern countries young people typically move out by around 22.
She also highlighted that although housing is primarily a matter of national competence, there are direct EU funds available to address the housing crisis, particularly for building renovation, energy efficiency, and innovation. The importance of housing is further underlined by the fact that in its second term, the Von der Leyen Commission introduced a dedicated Commissioner for Energy and Housing. More details on the subject can be found on the Ludovika Blog.
Source: Nikoletta Berki