In a context marked by the global rise of authoritarian, dictatorial and totalitarian regimes, the return of violence to European soil – with the Russian invasion of Ukraine – throws into sharp relief the centrality of the struggle between liberal democracy and authoritarian, illiberal regimes.

These challenges present a democratic opportunity insofar as they force us to reflect on European ‘values’ and on the model of society in which Europeans wish to live. Yet the debate around the question of ‘European values’ is often confused and, with this in mind, this conference aims to clarify the terms of this complex debate.

Thierry Chopin is an advisor at the Jacques Delors Institute on issues related to European institutions and democracy. After many years of teaching at Sciences Po, Mines Paris PSL, and more recently at École polytechnique, he is currently an Associate Professor at Sorbonne University and a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges). He is the author of numerous books and articles on the European Union, including La fracture politique de l’Europe (Larcier, 2015) and, with Jean-François Jamet and Christian Lequesne, L’Europe d’après (Lignes de Repères, 2012).