The State of the Union 2023 : final report

Abstract

The 13th edition of The State of the Union, the European University Institute’s (EUI) high-level annual event on global affairs, took place on 4-6 May 2023 in Florence, Italy. Under the title ‘Building Europe in times of uncertainty’, the flagship conference gathered 134 prestigious speakers, including policymakers, top scholars, and world-renowned experts, to discuss the most pressing issues on the European agenda. The debate unfolded across 35 sessions, delving into issues including the war in Ukraine and its impact on the daily lives of citizens, sustainability and social inclusion, the rule of law, and the digital transition. It saw the participation of Josep Borrell Fontelles, High representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. The Institute also welcomed Nadia Calviño, First Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digitalisation, Spain, Dita Charanzova, Vice-President, European Parliament; Sylvie Goulard, Member of the French Diplomatic Service, Republico of France, Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-Generalfor Energy, European Commission; Mairead McGuinness, Commissioner for Financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union, European Commission, Borut Pahor, Former President of the Republic of Slovenia; and Norbert Röttgen, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag. The event opened at the EUI’s Badia Fiesolana on 4 May and continued at Palazzo Vecchio, the historic seat of the Florence City Council, on 5 May. It welcomed more than 700 participants in person during the two days. All sessions were live-streamed, with approximately 10,000 people joining from around the world. EUI President Renaud Dehousse, who opened the event, said, “The State of the Union is the key European event that puts top scholars in the room with policy makers to dig deep into the most pressing issues on the EU agenda. This year we will focus on the green and digital transitions, security, and global economics – all issues the EUI can contribute to through its outstanding research.”