Europe and the world continues to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, with all its healthcare and financial implications. Russia has invaded Ukraine prompting a concerted European and international response. Climate change continues to pose an existential crisis to the planet.

Throughout this series of crises, the Conference on the Future of Europe has run, asking European citizens what they want for the future of Europe. As part of the DiCE project, we have also been asking ourselves what Europe should look like. Over the course of our project, we have examined the modalities and history of differentiation in Europe. At the Czech Pre-Presidency Conference, we examined the relevance of differentiation for the future of Europe.

On 1 July 2022, France will hand over the Presidency of the Council of the EU to Czechia. During the next six months, the Czech Presidency will have to sail through troubled waters to address some of the most pressing EU issues in a context of multiple ongoing international crises.

To scrutinise the priorities and challenges of the Presidency, TEPSA and its Czech Member Institute, the Institute of International Relations in Prague, hosted the Czech Pre-Presidency Conference on 23 and 24 May 2022 in Prague.

The Czech PPC hosted a DiCE “Future of Europe” panel, where experts discussed the future of European integration in the current context, with an eye to differentiation.