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Death can be merciless. Our friend and colleague Iryna Solonenko was torn from life. She died after a short, severe illness, against which all the art of medicine could do nothing. We cannot believe it.

The Center for Liberal Modernity cordially invites you to the inter­na­tional confer­ence “What Kind of Peace? Ukraine and Us” on October 16, 2024.

As a result of Russia’s constant attacks on its energy sector, Ukraine suffers an ongoing severe energy shortage. Power outages are a daily occur­rence. This makes life difficult for the popu­la­tion, endangers...

July 9–10: Center for Liberal Modernity in Tbilisi — inter­na­tional confer­ence with our partner orga­ni­za­tions aims at fostering collab­o­ra­tion among civil society orga­ni­za­tions from the eastern part­ner­ships and the Western Balkans and strenghten them on EU accession issues. Partic­i­pants will share their paths to EU member­ship, exchange best practices and develop joint initiatives.

Ideas matter! That is why LibMod launched a new format: The European Book Club. The second discus­sion will be devoted to “The Blind­sided” by Sylvie Kauffmann.

In our public discus­sion «Russia and the West — What is at stake» on 15 May in Berlin we will discuss policy options for the West versus Moscow and what Germany’s allies expect from Berlin. Find the programme and details how to register offline and/​or online here.

On 20 March, LibMod organised two expert discus­sions on carbon manage­ment and negative emissions in Brussels. Many decisions that are also crucial for Germany are currently being made there. All the more reason to open our eyes to the EU perspective.

On February 28th LibMod organised a workshop on the Green energy tran­si­tion in Ukrainian commu­ni­ties to discuss current legisla­tive frame­works and practical local expe­ri­ences of small distrib­uted gener­a­tion in munic­i­pal­i­ties with lawmakers and experts from Ukraine and the EU. Decen­tral­ized energy can benefit commu­ni­ties through strength­ening their resilience and security, reducing elec­tricity costs, and increasing invest­ments and local ownership. Since the Russian war of aggres­sion, municipal owned enter­prises and local ownership of renewable energy have become highly important. 

For many years, Poland and Germany pursued different policies regarding Russia and Ukraine. While Warsaw advocated harsher sanctions against Moscow and more support for Kyiv, Berlin was tradi­tion­ally more reluctant. Despite Zeit­en­wende, differ­ences linger. Can the two countries synchro­nize their approach?

A conver­sa­tion between Kerstin Müller, former Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, and Iran specialist Kasra Aarabi about 7 October, Iran as a sponsor of terrorist orga­ni­za­tions in the Middle East, coop­er­a­tion with Russia and the special role of the Iranian Revo­lu­tionary Guards. The EU should classify them as a terrorist organization.

How have relations between Ukraine and the EU developed one and a half years after Ukraine was granted the EU candidate country status? What are the prospects for 2024? A policy paper by Miriam Kosmehl, Iryna Solonenko, Susan Stewart, Liubov Akulenko, Piotr Buras and Snizhana Diachenko.

In view of the threat of aggres­sion from violent powers and attacks on inter­na­tional law, to what extent should the war against Ukraine be seen as a “turning point” for Europe? And what conclu­sions must European poli­cy­makers draw? After a contri­bu­tion from Timothy Garton Ash, the panel of Olha Stefan­ishyna, Robin Wagener, Karolina Wigura and Andrius Kubilius explored these questions.

The second panel was made up of four members of the Bundestag, Thomas Hacker, Anton Hofreiter, Tilmann Kuban, and Christian Petry, and the Ukrainian Ambas­sador Oleksii Makeiev. They discussed the EU accession of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. In December 2023, the EU Member States will decide what steps these three countries must take in order to join the EU.

“Are we doing enough for Ukraine to win?” was the question addressed by the panel with Justyna Gotkowska, Christian Mölling, Maryna Vorotniuk, Alex Vidman and Nico Lange. The partic­i­pants agreed that the West’s support is not enough and discussed what needs to be done specif­i­cally to support Ukraine.

How can those respon­sible for war crimes and crimes under inter­na­tional law be held account­able? Christoph Heusgen, Tania Freiin von Uslar-Gleichen, Anton Korynevych and Frank Hoffmeister discussed questions of inter­na­tional criminal law.

Olak­sandra Azarkhina, Maria Repko, Torsten Wöllert, Ulrike Hopp-Nishanka, Artem Nekrasov and Rebecca Harms discussed how Ukrainian society is preparing for the next winter, what support Ukraine needs and whether a green trans­for­ma­tion is possible despite the war.

On the panel, Georg Milbradt, Olga Skrypnyk, Jean P. Froehly, Tetyana Gavrysh and Oksana Myronko discussed the chal­lenges and oppor­tu­ni­ties that Ukraine is facing now and will face after the war.

What impact is the Russian war of anni­hi­la­tion having on neigh­bouring countries? And what expec­ta­tions does civil society in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have of the EU? Leonid Litra, Ivane Chkhik­vadze, Natalia Stercul and Dirk Schübel discussed these issues.

What conclu­sions can be drawn with regard to European security policy and the security order? Pavlo Klimkin, Agnieszka Brugger, Ulrich Speck and Roderich Kiesewetter agreed that the European security order is in a deep crisis.

On 11 October 2023, an inter­na­tional confer­ence organised by the Centre for Liberal Modernity shed light on the signif­i­cance of the Russian war of aggres­sion for Europe. What can we do to ensure that a free and united Ukraine emerges from the war? How can war criminals be held account­able? How do we shape the European security order of the future?

Inter­na­tional Expert Network Russia Network Meeting “How Fragile is the Putin System?”

What oppor­tu­ni­ties, problems and solutions do Ukrainian energy experts see for the sustain­able recon­struc­tion of their country’s energy system? The policy paper “Ukraine’s Path Towards a Sustain­able Energy Sector” summarises the results of our survey study and describes policy recommendations.

Center for Liberal Modernity together with our Ukrainian partners from Clean Energy Lab would like to invite you to an online discus­sion on “Small distrib­uted gener­a­tion and reforming the energy system of Ukraine” June 28th 14–15:30 CET.

In this policy paper, Alisa Muzergues and Pavel Havlíček analyse the multi­lat­eral formats and coop­er­a­tions in Central and Eastern Europe in which Ukraine partic­i­pates — or aspires to participate.

What are the EU’s options regarding Ukraine’s inte­gra­tion into the European Defence Union? What measures are relevant for security on the ground? Iulian Romanyshyn explores these questions in the new LibMod policy paper.

Welcome to the regis­tra­tion page for our confer­ence Russia & the West „Lessons Learned? Western Policy versus Russia“.

What future for Russia should we strive for? Our authors Vladimir Milov and Maria Domanska strongly argue that the West must not fear a collapse of the regime. Positive change in...

Russia Policies and Zeit­en­wende: The Change We Need

What is the economic and ecolog­ical future of Russia and what are the climate policy conse­quences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? We invite you to a public discus­sion on 15 December 2022 with German and Russian economic, energy and climate experts.

Appeal by more than 70 writers, histo­rians, security experts and scholars on Eastern Europe

Do Russian war crimes consti­tute genocide? What oblig­a­tions does this impose on the inter­na­tional community? Experts from politics, academia and civil society discussed these questions at the inter­na­tional confer­ence “Inter­na­tional Law against Genocide”.

Our new project “Expert Network Russia” kicked on October 31 with an inaugural meeting in Vilnius. Network members will gather in the Lithuanian Seimas to discuss how the West should deal with an increas­ingly total­i­tarian and neo-imperial Russia.

Liberal democracy is under pressure worldwide. At our confer­ence “Rethinking Liber­alism, Renewing Democracy” on 24 November in Berlin and online, we discussed with inter­na­tional guests from academia, politics, think tanks and business how liber­alism and liberal democracy must evolve in order to sustain. 

The granting of candidate status does not mean accession: it is above all a recog­ni­tion of the progress Ukraine has made in reforms and a great symbolic gesture to a people who are...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus” we publish a series of input papers on the topic: Per­spec­tives and Path­ways to EU Can­di­date Status for Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus” we publish a series of input papers on the topic: Per­spec­tives and Path­ways to EU Can­di­date Status for Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic...

On 31 May, we discussed the future of the Russian economy after the war in Ukraine with Dr Vladislav Inozemtsev, Angelina Davydova, Dr Janis Kluge and Michael Harms.

The Ukrainian TV channel “1plus1” broad­casted live on May 8th from Berlin. During the interview with Marieluise Beck one of the topics was the role of NATO in the war...

After the Bundestag’s decision to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine, a contro­ver­sial debate has flared up about Germany’s attitude towards the Russian war of aggres­sion against Ukraine.  The signa­to­ries call on Chan­cellor Olaf Scholz and the German govern­ment to ...

More than 80 scholars, politi­cians, busi­ness­people and civil society repre­sen­ta­tives have signed an appeal to the German govern­ment to stop oil and gas imports from Russia. Remark­ably, the coalition of...

Moldova, a country in the heart of Europe, its current lead­er­ship and first and foremost its people, opened not only its borders but also their homes for the suffering neigh­bours. The...

On 22 March, at 2 pm, the Center for Liberal Modernity in coop­er­a­tion with Naftogaz Ukraine and the Ukrainian Feder­a­tion of Employers of the Oil and Gas Industry invites you to...

Based on six criteria of the United Nations Conven­tion against Genocide, Russia is commit­ting genocide in Mariupol, says Inter­na­tional law expert Otto Luchterhandt.

How should we deal with a repres­sive and confronta­tional Russia? Join our annual discus­sion “Russia and the West” on 24 March, which will be held jointly with the Munich Security Conference...

Political scientist Olek­sandra Keudel warns of European and global conse­quences in the case of Russian attacks on Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

Ukraine has a high potential for the produc­tion of “green” hydrogen. DiXi Group’s info­graphic explains what condi­tions must be met for hydrogen export.

After failing to agree on exclusive spheres of influence in Europe with the Trump admin­is­tra­tion, the Kremlin is chal­lenging Washington’s ability to keep unity among Euro-Atlantic allies and protect European...

As 2021 draws to a close, we look back on this year’s important events. Among them is the Crimea Platform, which was launched in August at Ukraine’s initia­tive to shore up...

On 22 October, the foun­da­tion stone for a new memorial to the 1941 massacre was laid in Odesa. The future memorial is the result of an initia­tive of the Centre for...

  On October 5, 2021, the Center Liberal Modernity held the public discus­sion on prior­i­ties for coop­er­a­tion with Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova under the Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus project. The discussion...

In the LibMod-Policy-Paper: Towards a European Climate Diplomacy, Dr. Georg Zachmann analyses the extension of the European Green Deal to the three asso­ci­ated states of the EU (Ukraine, Georgia and the...

A commen­tary by Ralf Fücks on Putin’s latest histor­ical policy manifesto, published by the Kremlin.

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are pub­lish­ing a second series of input papers on the topic of Perspec­tives and Prior­i­ties European Green Deal (EGD) in Ukraine, Georgia...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are pub­lish­ing a second series of input papers on the topic of Perspec­tives and Prior­i­ties European Green Deal (EGD) in Ukraine, Georgia...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are pub­lish­ing a second series of input papers on the topic of Perspec­tives and Prior­i­ties European Green Deal (EGD) in Ukraine, Georgia...

An answer to Wladimir Putin’s fine tuned op-ed in the German weekly Die Zeit by Ralf Fücks, Center for Liberal Modernity.

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are publishing a first series of input papers on the topic of anti-corrup­­tion reforms in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The authors from...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are publishing a first series of input papers on the topic of anti-corrup­­tion reforms in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The authors from...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship Plus”, we are publishing a first series of input papers on the topic of anti-corrup­­tion reforms in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. The authors from...

When? June 23rd, 10am — 5.30pm (CEST) Where? Digital via Zoom and analogous in Berlin if possible (regis­tra­tion required) The world is changing rapidly. Digi­tal­iza­tion, the conver­sion towards a climate neutral economy, the corona...

Statement by Ralf Fücks und Marieluise Beck: The Russian Pros­e­cutor General’s decision to brandmark the Center for Liberal Modernity together with the German-Russian Exchange (DRA) and a Russian exile orga­ni­za­tion as “unde­sir­able...

Climate change and its conse­quences are viewed differ­ently in Russia than is the case in the West. The issue is under­stood as “part of a political game”. This differ­ence in outlook has rami­fi­ca­tions for both political and economic coop­er­a­tion. The interview study “Russian Experts’ Opinions on Global Climate Change”, conducted by Russia’s Levada-Center and commis­sioned by the Center for Liberal Modernity, affords in-depth insight into the Russian elites’ perspec­tive on climate change and its societal and economic consequences.

In late March 2021 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revoked a decree made by runaway president Viktor Yanukovych appointing Oleksandr Tupytsky and Oleksandr Kasminin to the Consti­tu­tional Court. This raised eyebrows in...

The analyt­ical paper “Invest­ment plans of the EU: oppor­tu­ni­ties for Ukraine in the area of the European Green Deal imple­men­ta­tion” iden­ti­fies the most important spheres of involve­ment for the Ukrainian...

The Roadmap „Towards Climate-Neutral Aviation“ by Ralf Fücks (Zentrum Libe­rale Moderne), Mat­thias von Randow (Chief Exe­cu­tive of the BDL) and Volker Thum (Chief Exe­cu­tive of the BDLI) sum­ma­ri­zes the results...

Liberal democracy has come under pressure from various quarters: from the outside by author­i­tarian regimes, from within by populist movements and parties. In this dossier, we want to combine ideas of a new liberalism.

Wednesday October 14. 7 pm‑8.30 pm – via Zoom

Online-Panel Discus­sion on October 6, 2020, with Gunther Krichbaum, Johannes Schraps, Renata Alt, Manuel Sarrazin und others.

Current infor­ma­tion on confer­ences, expert talks, panel discus­sions, readings and lectures.

Lessons learned from Covid-19: Ralf Fuecks discusses with Anthony Giddens

Panel and online dis­cus­sion with Marie­luise Beck, Vla­di­mir Kara-Murza und Michael McFaul on 9 Sep­tem­ber 2020, 7 pm CET

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship 2.0” we publish a series of arti­cles about the three EU asso­ci­a­tion states (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova). Three authors from the region (Paata Gaprindashvili, Mariam...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship 2.0” we publish a series of arti­cles about the three EU asso­ci­a­tion states (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova). Three authors from the region (Paata Gaprindashvili, Mariam...

As part of our project “Eastern Part­ner­ship 2.0” we publish a series of arti­cles about the three EU asso­ci­a­tion states (Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova). Three authors from the region (Paata Gaprindashvili, Mariam...

With its “Eastern Part­ner­ship 2.0” project, LibMod is bringing perspec­tives from Georgia, Moldova and the Ukraine to Berlin’s and Brussels’ policy circles.

Ukraine is under­going profound trans­for­ma­tion. One click will take you to the website www.ukraineverstehen.de, where you will find infor­ma­tion, analyses and reports on the latest devel­op­ments in the country. With a dedicated...

The Russian Govern­ment is trying to get access to the internet – perhaps the most important refuge for freedom of speech. Cyber­space is increas­ingly restricted through state censor­ship: state pressure...

This aim of LibMod’s “Liberal Democracy and Its Adver­saries” project is to examine the “long lines” of antilib­eral thought and discuss its relevance for the debate of today. The project’s...

An interview with Dr. Ulana Suprun, former acting minister of Health of Ukraine (2016–2019) on the government’s response to COVID-19, including an erratic commu­ni­ca­tion strategy, a lack of trans­parency and corruption...

Eco-inno­­va­­tions, economic oppor­tu­ni­ties and social partic­i­pa­tion in times of climate change are the subjects of this book, edited by Ralf Fücks and Thomas Köhler, in which widely acclaimed authors discuss...

An Open Letter to the Parlia­men­tary Assembly of the Council of Europe: Please don’t deprive yourself of the right to impose sanctions on member states that are violating the statutes...

With the annex­a­tion of Crimea and the unde­clared war in Eastern Ukraine, the Russian lead­er­ship gravely violates the prin­ci­ples of the European peace order. In response, the Parlia­men­tary Assembly of...

The EU as we knew it does not exist anymore. This is Ivan Krastev’s point of departure. The opti­mistic belief in the idea of progress that was widely held during...

What’s the Center for Liberal Modernity is about.

About the motives for founding a Center for Liberal Modernity.