Sovereignty in a United Europe: A CEE Perspective
Watch the second panel of the Freedom and Growth Summit 2025, which tackled one of the most defining questions in Europe today: What does sovereignty mean in an era of deepening EU integration?
For Central and Eastern Europe, sovereignty is not a theoretical construct — it is a lived experience shaped by history and the hard lessons of the 20th century. As EU institutions expand their competences in areas like energy, climate policy, and defense, the debate over the balance between European unity and national independence has become more urgent than ever.
Distinguished Panelists:
- Tobiasz Bocheński – Polish MEP
- Noémi Pálfalvi – Chief Advisor, Danube Institute
- Bartosz Lewandowski – Attorney at law
- Andrzej Kensbok – Manager, Former CEO of PGZ
- Moderator: Paweł Pawłowski – Programme Director for Freedom and Growth Summit
Key Themes Explored:
- National Independence: Can a united Europe truly exist without strong, sovereign nation-states?
- Democratic Legitimacy: How CEE countries can defend their legitimacy while contributing to European cooperation.
- Defining Competences: Finding the line between EU coordination and national autonomy.
- Modern Challenges: How technological dependency, information security, and defense reshape modern sovereignty.
Funding & Support The Freedom and Growth Summit was financed by the National Institute of Freedom – Centre for the Development of Civil Society as part of the Government Programme for Civil Initiatives Fund NEWCIF for 2021-2030 and the Government Programme for Civil Society Organizations Development CSODev for 2018-2030.
