On 15 October 2026, the international expert seminar “Enhancing European Synergy: Cooperation of Poland and the Netherlands with Lithuania’s EU Council Presidency” was held in Brussels as part of the General Maczek Dialogues initiative. The event was organised by the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe in Wrocław, Maastricht University, and the Institute of Central Europe (IEŚ), in cooperation with the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union.
The seminar focused on the future of European security and opportunities for closer cooperation between Poland, the Netherlands, and Lithuania in the context of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2027. The discussions addressed the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the security of the EU’s eastern flank, prospects for EU enlargement, as well as the future of the Eastern Partnership and relations with Central Asian countries.
The seminar brought together representatives of expert and academic communities, as well as diplomats from Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and other European countries. The Institute of Central Europe was represented by Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik, Head of the Security and Societal Resilience Team, and Spasimir Domaradzki, Head of the Balkan Team. During the expert discussions, they presented the Polish perspective on the key security and foreign policy challenges facing the European Union.
The seminar aimed to develop recommendations on European cooperation, security, eastern policy, and EU enlargement. The conclusions of the meeting will contribute to a publication containing recommendations for the governments of Poland, Lithuania, and the Netherlands, designed to support the preparation and implementation of the priorities of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
EU’s Eastern Flank and EU Enlargement at the Centre of Discussions in Brussels