17 may – round table with the Deputy EU representative in Russia Ms. Alyoshka Simkich

On May 17, the Higher School of Economics held a round table on “European Union facing the future - A closer look at the eve of European Parliament elections”. The organizers were: the EU Delegation to Russia, the HSE Department of Political Science (St. Petersburg), as well as the Consulate General of France and the Consulate General of Romania in St. Petersburg. The main guest of the event was the Deputy Head of the European delegation to Russia Ms. Alyoshka Simkich (Aleška Simkić). The discussion was also attended by Consuls General of Cyprus, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Bulgaria, Finland, experts and professors of HSE in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg State University, European University, RANEPA, Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The round table was moderated by Vera Ageeva, associate Professor of the HSE Department of Political Science in St. Petersburg.

Elections to the European Parliament will be held from 23 to 26 may 2019. As they approach the topic of prospects for further development of the European Union becomes more and more relevant. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the elections and the challenges the EU may face.

Alyoshka Simkich started with the fact that the European Union is often portrayed from the negative side (Brexit, extremism and so on). This is partly because the values of the European Union are based on different democratic freedoms, but it is not so important for those who disseminate information. Moreover, there is always a kind of crisis in Europe that it is trying to cope with. At the moment, one of the main problems is how to make the EU closer to citizens. People do not think about who will sit in Brussels, they are worried about who they will vote for at the local level, so that the elected politician can represent their interests in Brussels. And the level of the country still matters more.

Tatyana Romanova noted that the European Parliament and elections to this body do not seem so important for relations between Russia and the European Union, but after a closer study of the issue, it turns out that this is not the case. Also, before the elections there is an acute issue of turnout, because this is one of the indicators of legitimacy. Another issue raised by the speaker concerned those groups that ensure stability in the European Parliament.

Maria Matskevich acted further. She spoke about how Russians perceive the EU and about the studies that have been conducted on this topic. Now many see the West as a single actor, not the fact that the EU consists of several States, and as an enemy. One of the recent studies showed that difficulties arise due to differences in Russian and European cultures.

Maxim Titov talked on the subject of energy policy. The importance of this topic is explained by the fact that Russian industrial companies cooperate with European companies, and when the EU sets higher quality standards, it encourages Russian companies to strive for the same level, which increases efficiency.

Natalia Zaslavskaya touched on a related topic. She spoke about environmental values and the measures that need to be taken to improve the environmental situation.

French Consul General Hughes de Chavagnac spoke about another challenge posed by the development of the information society. This area is developing very quickly, changes are constantly happening, perhaps even faster than people cope with the previous ones, and for the EU, as an international actor, it is not so easy to cope the changes.

After each performance, participants and listeners had the opportunity to ask questions. All were involved in the discussion and interested in the possible outcome of the elections, risks, prospects for further development of the EU, relations with Russia. Invited experts and Consuls General answered all questions and gave explanations on all topics of interest. A lot of issues have been touched upon, but some are still needed to be discussed, which is the reason for organizing such an event in the near future.