Annual international youth conference LEAD |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Dec 27 2023 |
From December 14 to 16, 2023, University of Ruse hosted the annual international youth conference of the Danube School, co-organized by the Bulgarian-Romanian Interuniversity Europe Center (BRIE), Elias Canetti International Society, European Initiatives without Borders NGO and European Danube Academy, Ulm, Germany. The event welcomed 30 participants from Bulgaria, Vietnam, India, Cyprus, China, Moldova, Romania, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Ukraine.
The conference was held under the motto LEAD (Languages and Encounters Along the Danube) with two main topics. On 1 November 2023 EU marks 30 years since the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty. Therefore, the morning session of conference outlined the leading role of the Union in overcoming political and economic crises and in managing conflicts by peaceful means. In the afternoon session the leading role of languages within the 19th century nation-building in Europe and in the Danube region in particular, was outlined.
The conference was opened by the Rector of the University of Ruse, Prof. Hristo Beloev. He congratulated the organizers and participants for the selection of the topical themes, and outlined the enhanced profile of BRIE as a center of international academic and research projects. The Regional Governor Mr. Danail Kovachev also gave a welcome, and emphasized the dedication of BRIE and its added value to the European identity of Ruse region.
In the first part of the conference, results of four studies were presented. Assoc. prof. Dr. M. Kornazheva, director of BRIE, revealed the crises in Europe and the subsequent impulses for European integration not only in the last 30 years, but also in the period after the Second World War. Dr. E. Parvanova, a graduate of BRIE, outlined the strengths and weaknesses of the UN Security Council and the need for its reformation. Dr. A. Radu, BRIE graduate and advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Romania, spoke in detail about the current challenges facing the Schengen area and the upcoming accession of Bulgaria and Romania. M. Nikolov, a PhD student and a graduate of BRIE, spoke on the topic of national populism in EU member states as an internal risk for the future of the Union.
Three speakers took part in the second part of the conference. Prof. P. Angelova, president of the Elias Canetti International Society, dedicated her presentation to the topic of Bulgarian as a second language and defined multilingualism as an asset. Lothar Jaschke - Deputy Head of the Representation of the European Union in South Sudan dedicated his presentation to the dynamics in the development of the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy. Finally, with an interactive presentation, B. Tsenova, a PhD student and a graduate of BRIE, outlined the current language situation in Bulgaria, with Bulgarian as an official language and the mother tongues of Armenians, Vlachs, Greeks, Jews, Roma, Russians, and Turks. The final discussion of Assoc. prof. Dr. M. Kornazheva addressed cases with language policies that discriminate the languages of certain groups, thus causing conflicts and wars.
The conference continued on December 16th with a cultural program and a guided tour in Ruse.
Last changed: Feb 21 2024 at 7:34 AM
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