European Union and Russia: Challenges of Our Time

May 30 - opening ceremony and plenary session of the International conference "Economics, politics, social life of the European Union and relations with Russia: the challenges of our time". Participants: the University of Portsmouth (UK), Netherlands Institute of International Affairs (Netherlands), Tyumen State University (Russia), University of Uppsala (Sweden), Graduate School of Economics (Russia), Giessen University (Germany), Centre for Research on migration, identity and nationality of Cluj - Napoca (Romania), Udmurt State University (Russia), Bangor University (UK), Kazan Federal University.

The conference addresses the issue of economic crisis in the European Union, the uncertainty that the EU and the single European currency will be able to survive in their current form. Today, the EU is faced with new pressures along its borders, and forced to focus attention on the south-eastern neighbors. The important questions for discussion: how the current crisis will affect the EU's program to modernize Russia and what lessons can be learned from the Russian experience? What will be the process of reforming the European-Russian relations during the period of global instability? The participants were welcomed by the director of the Institute of Comparative Studies of modernizing societies at KFU Irina Morenko. Paul Flenley (University of Portsmouth (UK) in his report on the European Neighborhood Policy noted that the main task of the EU today is construction of a security zone, the solution of economic problems and the security of the south.

Among other interesting presentations there was one by the professor from Netherlands Institute of International Relations André Gerrits, "Russia and the EU: different worlds? Why is it so difficult to reach a new agreement? ".

May 31 - plenary sessions on the topics: "The state, community and culture", "Education and the prospects for the development of civil society."