Politics in Central and Eastern Europe: Navigating Uncertainty?

Politics in Central and Eastern Europe is characterized by many recent developments such as extensive popular protests, the rise to power of anti-democratic actors, the consequences of the war in Ukraine, high criticism against the European Union from several countries, or the increased role of social media and alleged foreign interference in national elections. This section, which aims to provide a systematic analysis of these recent developments and challenges. It invites panel and paper submissions that speak to, but not necessarily limited to, any of the following themes: • Institutional performance, resilience or change • Elections and representation • Political radicalization and polarization • Public policies, norms and procedures • Politicians’ roles in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe • Citizens’ engagement, attitudes and behaviours • External and internal stimuli for societal development • Nationalism, ethnicity and migration • Regional and local politics • Accountability and transparency Proposed panels 1. Post-Invasion Ukraine: Law, Politics, and Social Reconstruction in Central Europe Zuzana Fellegi (Anglo-American University) This panel explores Ukraine’s post-2022 transformations through a multidisciplinary, Ukrainian-led research perspective. The panel addresses how war, displacement, and institutional adaptation are reshaping legal and political orders in Ukraine and neighbouring states. The panel invites contributions using socio-legal, constructivist, and governance-based approaches that analyse post-invasion reconstruction, refugee engagement in host societies, and the transformation of legal and political norms. 2. New Political Parties in Central and Eastern Europe: Tackling Security and Religion Dragos Samsudean (Babes-Bolyai University Cluj) Marked by various security evolutions in the last two decades from conventional warfare to disinformation and socio-cultural changes that stress a rebirth of religion as a political resource, Central and Eastern Europe is also changing its political landscape. With such context in mind, this panel aims to bring together studies that critically examines the new political parties in CEE by reporting on topics such as shaping (security) policies, political communication, civil religion / political religion and party competition. 3. Local Governments and Refugee Integration in Central and Eastern Europe: From Crisis Response to Long-term Governance Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University) The panel investigates how local governments across Central and Eastern Europe have responded to the unprecedented influx of (Ukrainian) refugees and how these responses evolve into long-term integration strategies. Focusing on governance networks, institutional capacities, and multi-level coordination, it explores similarities and differences among municipalities in CEE. The panel contributes to understanding how CEE politics adapts to new social and humanitarian challenges. 4. Polarization and populist realignment in Central and Eastern Europe amid the mid-2020s electoral cycle István Benedek (Eötvös Loránd University) The panel investigates how political polarization and populist realignment reshape political competition and party systems across Central and Eastern Europe. The panel invites comparative and case-based analyses of how polarization transforms representation, constrains governance, and redefines the prospects for democratic resilience or democratic backsliding in the region. 5. Local politics and citizens in Central and Eastern Europe Daniel Oross (HUN-REN Research Center Budapest) Political participation and mobilization in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) present unique challenges and opportunities. Political engagement in the region is shaped by both enduring legacies and contemporary movements. This panel will explore the evolution of political participation in CEE, examining how individuals and groups engage with political systems and mobilize for social and political change. 6. Migration in Eastern Europe: Being Welcomed or Welcoming? Ionut Moldovan (Babes-Bolyai University Cluj) For more than two decades, the East European countries have been migration sending countries. In recent times, some of them have gradually become migration receiving countries (including refugees). This migration dynamic led to several institutional changes, including the access to the labour market, integration, security policies or citizenship. This panel gathers papers that seek to understand how countries in Eastern Europe maintain the balance between migrants' needs and policies or how states protect migrants. 7. Engaging dissatisfied citizens: participatory practices in Central and Eastern Europe Bettina Mitru (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) Participatory democracy has diversified greatly in the last two decades. Similarly, citizens have been gradually offered more possibilities for engagement in community decisions. While there is much evidence about these two processes from Western European countries, there is scarce information about what happens in Central and Eastern Europe. This panel gathers papers analyzing forms of citizens’ engagement in the decision-making process. 8. Political parties in Central and Eastern Europe: Challenges and Changes Sergiu Miscoiu (Babes-Bolyai University Cluj) In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the political landscape has experienced a significant transformation since the collapse of communism, with the emergence of new political parties, movements, and ideologies reshaping the region’s democracies. Many of these new parties are responding to a diverse set of socio-political challenges, from economic inequality and political corruption to identity issues, nationalism, and populism. This panel aims to explore the dynamics of these emerging political parties in CEE, focusing on how they innovate within their respective political systems, their strategies for mobilization and electoral success. 9. Institutional reforms in Central and Eastern Europe Gergana Noutcheva (University of Maastricht) This panel explores how post-conflict societies in Central and Eastern Europe region approach institutional reform transitions to achieve resilience and sovereignty. It focuses on governance, public trust, judicial independence, and international partnerships, examining models of decentralization and transparency that address legacies of conflict. By drawing comparative insights from Central and Eastern European experiences, the panel showcases strategies for balancing external support with sovereignty, offering pathways for sustainable governance across diverse political landscapes. 10. The local – central tension redefined? Green policies in CEE countries Kamil Glinka (University of Wroclaw) The aim is to illustrate the responses of CEE countries - with emphasis on public, social and private actors of CEE - to challenges of green policies. Particular attention is paid to the tension between local and central levels. Therefore, a key role is played by the question whether, and if so, to what extent, the implementation of green policies influences – alongside some other tensions (e.g. the war in Ukraine, the migration crisis) – the relations between actors at both levels.