ValEUs Lecture Series (25): When Borders Return

Join our upcoming ValEUs Lecture on “When Borders Return: Neo-Securitization, European Values and the New Geopolitics of Central and Eastern Europe” with Jarosław Jańczak from the Adam Mickiewicz University.

Sorina Soare and Giorgia Bulli from the University of Florence will join Jarosław Jańczak for the concluding disccussion of this instalment of our lecture series.

About the Lecture:
The lecture examines the return of borders as instruments of security, sovereignty and geopolitical influence in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on the concept of neo-securitization. It explores how the migration crisis at the Polish–Belarusian border, which emerged in 2021, transformed perceptions of the EU’s external borders and contributed to the reintroduction of controls within the Schengen Area. Particular attention is devoted to the spillover effects of the crisis on the Polish–German border, where reciprocal border controls have challenged established practices of cross-border mobility and cooperation.

The lecture introduces the concept of the “domino effect in rebordering” to explain how security measures, political narratives and migration pressures spread between geographically distant border regions. It also considers the tensions between national security priorities, European integration and the fundamental values underpinning the European project.

By examining the contrasting perspectives of national governments, local communities and non-state actors, the lecture highlights the changing relationship between border control and cross-border governance. Finally, it discusses how geopolitical rivalries and transnational networks of influence are reshaping Europe’s borderlands and the future of European integration and European values.