Ideas on Europe UACES

Every Monday, a member of the international academic association ‘UACES’ will address a current topic linked to their research on euradio.

Bonjour, Natasza Styczyńska, very pleased to have you back at Euradio. Today, in 2024, you are Professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. But what were you doing when Poland became a member of the European Union, twenty years ago, on the 1st of May 2004?
 I was a student, in my fourth year of political science studies! Membership negotiations and the opening prospects for education and work across Europe made a huge impression on my generation but also intimidated us. We didn’t quite believe that we would really become part of the world we knew only from our holiday escapades or from literature.

Bonjour, Ramūnas Vilpišauskas, you are Jean Monnet Professor at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University, in the capital of Lithuania.
How old were you when your country became a member of the European Union, twenty years ago, on the 1st of May 2004?
In 2004, I was 32 years old, working as an associate professor at Vilnius University, teaching and researching EU-related subjects. Actually, I also remember quite well how I spent that day. I took part in a couple of official ceremonies organised on this occasion by our state institutions and then went to a party at a friend’s place to celebrate in private.

Petr Kaniok, you are professor of political science at the Masaryk University of Brno, beautiful city in the South-East of the Czech Republic. And you recall the moment when your country became a member of the European Union, twenty years ago, on the 1st of May 2004.May 2004 – that is a long time ago! Twenty years is a small step for mankind, but it is a remarkable period for one person. Anyway, I still remember what I did and what the atmosphere was in the society. Why? Because this time was very special, vibrant and unique.

Simon Usherwood! I’m very pleased to welcome you back on Euradio. Your are professor at the Open University in Britain, and Chair of our partners UACES. 
Less than three months left until the elections to the European Parliament. What are your expectations? Do you think these elections actually matter?
Whether these elections matter is a great question and one that often gets asked.
45 years after the first direct elections, it is still a key problem for the European Parliament that most people don’t know much about what it actually does. Instead, their main reference point is national politics.