Open Europe Talk: Let’s Meet Lithuania

In Germany, Lithuania is primarily known for the deployment of the Bundeswehr as part of the ‘Lithuania Brigade’ – but otherwise, this small EU member state is hardly known. In recent years, Lithuania has emerged as a key European supporter of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression and, being in the immediate vicinity, is itself often the target of hybrid attacks. The domestic political situation is also far from straightforward – the governing coalition collapsed as recently as this summer, and a new head of government was sworn in at the end of June. At the same time, there is a great need for change within society, particularly amongst young people – especially in view of existing social problems, some of which are fuelled by the overall geopolitical situation.
In the next Open Europe Talk, we will be asking: What are the current political and social issues in Lithuania? Which trends and challenges need to be examined with regard to civil society, the Church and anti-democratic attitudes? And what does the future hold for Lithuania’s role in the EU?
Our guests are Laura Barkauskaitė and Vytautas Keršys, who are actively involved in community work in various parts of Lithuania, particularly with regard to social issues. Together, we will take a closer look at our partner country and seek to gain deeper insights that go beyond the headlines in the media. The discussion will be held in English.

On theeventseries: On the event series: the Open Europe Talk provides a space for open discussions on current European issues – critical, informative and in direct exchange with local partners. The Kommende Foundation beneVolens has long been committed to European education and dialogue work in Central and Eastern Europe. With this 90-minute format, we want to create a platform for direct dialogue with people from the respective countries. The online series is being carried out in cooperation with the foundation ‘socioMovens. Giving Europe a Soul’.

The Arbeitsgemeinschaft katholisch-sozialer Bildungswerke e. V. (Working Group ofCatholicSocialEducation Centres, AKSB) isa recognisededucationalinstitutionoftheBundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency forCivicEducation, bpb). "beneVolens. Jugend fördern. Zukunft gestalten. Kommende-Stiftung Dortmund" isa memberoftheAKSB.
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