Central Europe Explained

10 years after joining the European Union in 2013, on 1 January 2023, Croatia entered the Eurozone. As it is replaced by the Euro, the Croatian old currency, the Kuna (HRK), will slowly become an object, yet a device full of history.   

Since 5 September 2021, prices in both currencies have been displayed and dual circulation of EUR and HRK banknotes was allowed until two weeks before the introduction day of the Euro. So now, only the euro remain accepted for use.    

Which history lies behind the Kuna? What will be the impact of the introduction of the Euro on the business relations of the country? Which challenges need Croatia to focus on after joining the Eurozone?  

Sebastian Schäffer (IDM) tackled these questions with Mario Holzner - Executive Director of the wiiw. 

Our guest recommendation:    

Check out the various memes existing on social media making fun of the potential designs of the Croatian euro coin. 

Host: Sebastian Schäffer, Managing Director at IDM  

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM and Gloria Becerril, IDM trainee and student at University Padua.  

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Central Europe Explained is back for a third season!

CEE 3.0 follows specific events and topics happening over the years in the Danube Region.

If you are not familiar with CEE yet, this podcast focuses on several topics of general interest: geopolitics, human rights, economy, culture, democracy, etc. With experts from and about the region, we explore those various fields.   

We aim to enhance cross-border cooperation, dialogue and knowledge exchange in the region and beyond. Our work is based on the principles of liberal democracy and shared values, goals and visions with our neighbours. 

Are you interested in future of the Danube Region? Then stay tuned to Central Europe Explained and remember to subscribe to the podcast on your favourite streaming platform!

Central Europe Explained is a podcast series produced by the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) and powered by Erste Group. 

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Learning and mobility are different concepts, yet interconnected.   

One can think about them as a human right, privilege, advantage or opportunity.   

Access to education and freedom of movement is often taken for granted. However, we are not all equal towards those: living in a warzone is an example of this contrast.   

For this final episode of the 17th DRC Summer School, Christopher Radovic interviews Iryna Feketa, Anastasiia Lendel and Yuliia Stoika, all Ukrainian university students.   

Together they discuss their studying situation in western Ukraine. They give us their personal insights as well as wishes for the future.  

References mentioned:   CEE#35: Education Cannot Wait - with Lana Chubakha and Emma Hontebeyrie 

Host: Sebastian Schäffer, IDM Managing Director  

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

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Is University in Exile the future of Central Europe?     

In 2018, with the Hungarian government banning CEU from welcoming new students, the university had the relocate its activities from Budapest to Vienna.   

This direct attack on university autonomy is an example of the current fight for academic intuitions for their freedom.   

What is the current state of university autonomy in the Danube Region?  

Following diverse narratives from actors of the academia, Daniel Martinek and Emma Hontebeyrie discuss these challenges.   

This podcast brings together diverse voices and personal opinions, between anonymous interviews and discourses from Edza Aria Wkurendra, Grant Dunnery, Fiona Faas, Ljiljan Veselinović, as well as the president and rector of CEU Shalini Randeria.  

Host: Daniel Martinek, Research Associate at IDM; Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM   

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

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The structure of our social system is based on an important and tight triumvirate: science and academia, policy-makers, and civil society. However, in recent years we have witnessed a weakening of the relationship between these elements. 

What is the reason for this fading, and what are the consequences of it? How can we remind each other that we are all playing for the same team and not against each other? 

There is a great lack of communication and a great loss of trust on the part of civil society towards the world of academia, and politicians. In this episode, Malwina Talik (IDM) and Emma Hontebeyrie will share our perspectives and comment on excerpts from a discussion between  participants of the 17th DRC Summer School about the Future of Academia held in Vienna in the summer of 2022.

IDM managing director Sebastian Schäffer will also share his views on the role of citizens and the relationship between academia and policy makers, to repair this current decaying bond with the people. 

Host: Malwina Talik, Research Associate at IDM & Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM  

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As students, engagement is a key driver of one’s personal development.

But what does engagement mean? Which place plays youth in academia? Are they passive listeners or actors for change?

In July 2022, the DRC Summer School on the Future of Academia in the Danube Region took place in Vienna and welcomed around twenty participants from all over Europe. We took the chance to talk with actors from academia about their views on student engagement.  

This podcast brings together diverse natives and personal opinions, between anonymous interviews and discourses from Darija Benic, Romina Kali, Tea Memushi, Kërkesë Zogjani, as well as the president and rector of CEU Shalini Randeria.

Guest: Darija Benic, a student at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy; Romina Kali Lawyer and Researcher in the field of transitional justice in Shkodër, Albania; Tea Memushi assistant lecturer and student counselling coordinator at the University College Pavaresia, Albania; Kërkesë Zogjani student in psychology at the University of Pristina; Kosovo.

Host: Gloria Becerill, IDM trainee and student of Local Development Master's degree at the University of Padua; Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

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The Danube Tech Valley Initiative, Central Europe’s next innovative driver 

Countries of the Danube Region find common ground with their shared cultures and histories but also their variety of traditional industries. During the past decades, innovative technologies have flooded the region, although western countries remain the prominent leader in innovation. Yet, a new driver is awaiting, and it seems that Central Europe and the Danube Region only need the right resources.     

The Danube Tech Valley Initiativeaims to actively use the region's innovative wealth to create a vibrant hub of industries and technology. Supported by the global think-tank GLOBSEC, the DTVI set the goal of building an innovative ecosystem in the Central European Region.     

Which concrete opportunity does the Danube Tech Valley represent for CEE? Which obstacle lies ahead, especially regarding potential regional and EU-level dichotomies?  

Sebastian Schäffer (IDM) tackled these questions with Wilhelm Molterer, Chairman of GLOBSEC Board of Directors, former Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister of Austria. 

Our guest recommendation:   

Janoska Ensemble, THE BIG B‘s – Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Beatles, Bizet & Bartók 

Guest: Wilhelm Molterer, Chairman of GLOBSEC Board of Directors, former Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister of Austria. 

Host: Sebastian Schäffer, Managing Director at IDM 

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

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Novi Sad as the European Capital of Culture 2022 

On the 1st of January 2022, the Serbian city Novi Sad officially became the European Capital of Culture. With one year delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Novi Sad is among the first cities outside the European Union and the first from the Western Balkans to be awarded this title.    

Created in 1985, European Capitals of Culture highlight the continent's richness and diversity of cities. Moreover, it brings together people from all over Europe, promotes European understanding and collaboration.     

Is European Capital of Culture only a prestigious title, or does it have concrete actions and consequences on the ground and amongst ordinary people? 

Daniel Martinek (IDM) discusses this topic with Sara Vuletić, Programme Director at the Foundation “Novi Sad - European Capital of Culture”. 

Our guest recommendation:   

The Cultural Station Svilara, Novi Sad 

Guest: Sara Vuletić, Programme Director at the Foundation “Novi Sad - European Capital of Culture” 

Host: Daniel Martínek, Research Associate at IDM  

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

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The fight for Pride and the nation in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine is often framed as a struggle over Ukrainians belonging to either the East or the West. Given this, it becomes clear why especially LGBTQIA+ activists stress Ukraine’s commitment to so-called Western values. They include human rights and, in particular, the acceptance of the queer community. On the other side, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin created “traditional values” as the dominant narrative in his third presidential term. Experts state that the Kremlin constructed homophobia as geopolitics, and the war on Ukraine is the continuation of this politics by other means. Indeed, Putin even targeted the queer community in his February 24 speech, which attempts to justify the attacks on Ukraine. 

What are the realities for trans people in the war? Do they encounter discrimination during their flight or fight? And how has queer activist work changed within Ukraine?  

Melanie Jaindl (IDM) asked these questions to Edward Reese, a queer activist and project assistant at Kyiv Pride. Edward shares their own experiences of leaving Ukraine, their opinions about gendered war narratives and explains the importance of searching for LGBTQIA+ communities in a new environment. 

Our guest recommendation:   

The 2022 Eurovision’s winner Kalush Orchestra’s video clip Stefania, 2022 

Sources about Ukraine in English:  

The telegram channel Ukraine Now [English] 

The daily newspaper The Kyiv Independent 

The daily newspaper Kyiv Post 

The media platform Hromadske International  

The twitter channel @xenasolo 

The Instagram account Svidomi, @svidomi_eng 

Looking for the queer community in Vienna? Get in touch with Queer Base. 

To learn more about LGBTQIA+ topics, check out our other podcasts: 

Pride despite Prejudice - Sarajevo's first rainbow march in 2019, with Emina Bošnjak and Emma Hontebeyrie. 

Nationalism in the scope of patriarchy, with Dr Elissa Helms and Chiara Maria Murgia. 

Guest: Edward Reese, queer activist and project assistant for Kyiv Pride. 

Host: Melanie Jaindl, Assistant Editor at IDM  

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While nationalism has mainly been recognized – and researched – as one of the most influential ideologies of modern times, its connection with morality and sexual norms started to receive attention relatively recently. In Europe, this phenomenon has taken root at different paces and scales, marking the continent's political cultures and multiple identities.   

How is a national discourse constructed? How does it intersect with human life's social, private and political dimensions?  

Focusing on the Western Balkans experience, Chiara Maria Murgia (IDM) discusses these with Elissa Helms, Associate Professor at the Central European University. 

Our guest recommendation:   

Maja Bajević's performance, Dressed Up, 1999  

Jasmila Žbanić's movies: Grbavica, 2006; For Those Who Can Tell No Tales, 2013; Quo Vadis, Aida? 2020  

References mentioned in the program:   

Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, 1983  

Dubravka Zarkov, The Body of War: Media, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Break-up of Yugoslavia, 2007  

Elissa Helms, Innocence and Victimhood: Gender, Nation, and Women's Activism in Postwar Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2013  

Guest: Dr Elissa Helms, Associate Professor at the Central European University.   

Host: Chiara Maria Murgia, Project Assistant at IDM  

Production and editing: Emma Hontebeyrie, Research Associate at IDM 

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