Lezing 'Challenges at the borders of Ukraine and Eastern Europe: Security and human rights nexus'

Central and Eastern Europe is one of the regions that Russia considers as a sphere of its monopoly influence as well as military, political, economic, and cultural dominance. By interfering with the borders of these states , the Kremlin exerts pressure on the EU and NATO. Sometimes it is a test or an attempt to destabilize (the border of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia with Belarus), other times it is prevention of the European integration by maintaining discrepancies between the factual and legal situation (de facto states in Moldova and Georgia), and sometimes it is an act of aggression (the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022). The common denominator of all these actions is the violation of human rights and security in these countries and putting them in an impossible situation of balancing the endangered values.

With this in mind, the aim of the lecture is to present the multidimensionality of the problem created by the aggressor and its proxies - the various methods of Russia's direct and indirect interference, the response, and their consequences.

About the speaker

Stefania Kolarz is an analyst for EU law and OSCE in the Global Issues programme. Her interests include, in particular, external action, international agreements and the system of legal protection of EU, as well as peace processes in which the OSCE is involved.

She holds PhD in Law, a Master's degree in Law from the University of Wrocław, in International and European Business Law from the University of Paris-Dauphine, and in EU Diplomacy and International Relations from the College of Europe in Bruges.