The 4th Central European Symposium entitled ‘1989 & Beyond: The New Shape of Europe’ focused on three consequential periods, looking at 1989 as a catalyst of change, analysing the view from 2019 as a part of the European Union and further debating the future of Europe and its new perspectives. The symposium gathered academic speakers, practitioners and experts from Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The Embassy of the Czech Republic in London was represented by the two following personalities:

Professor Jiří Přibáň, professor of Law at Cardiff University. Academic, author, translator and essayist specializing in the areas of philosophy of law, sociology and politology

Professor Mary Heimann, professor of Modern History at Cardiff University. Prof Heimann is particularly noted for her book, Czechoslovakia: The State That Failed.

The Symposium was organised on the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of the fall of communist bloc in Europe, as thirty years after the events, it is now possible and necessary to provide a historical perspective on the ruptures triggered in 1989, and evaluate their significance. The speakers reflected on a range of issues from a variety of Central European perspectives and considered how states and societies of the region fit in the EU and Europe of today. Some of the most debated topics were how the Central European states and economies may contribute to solving our current issues such as Brexit or what role will they play in the new geopolitical landscape of an EU that expands eastward.

More information about the Symposium is accessible at the web page of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies.