The Tbilisi Debate on Europe 2026
In June 2026, the Tbilisi Debate on Europe gathers writers, scholars and journalists to confront urgent questions of freedom, history and democracy. Looking from Georgia, what is at stake for Europe today? Join the discussion!
Today, there is hardly any other city in Europe where European values—including democracy, the rule of law and personal freedoms—are more fiercely attacked and at the same time vigorously defended than in Tbilisi. Since 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Georgia has experienced a constant struggle between authoritarian and democratic forces, where the name and idea of Europe is incessantly invoked and contested.
In this situation, Debates on Europe find it of utmost importance to give a strong sign of solidarity with the individuals and institutions standing up for basic democratic and human rights in Georgia—writers, publishers, journalists, academics, civil society representatives.
From 12 to 13 June, Tbilisi becomes a vantage point for rethinking Europe. Across debates, lectures and encounters, leading thinkers explore history, freedom and the future of the continent—from its often overlooked margins.
In Tbilisi, international professionals will engage in talks with Georgian colleagues. The main aim of the Tbilisi Debate on Europe is to discuss the ideas and values that have forged Europe through a long history and to understand what part Georgia has played—and continues to play—in the European past, present and future.
The Tbilisi Debate on Europe 2026 is jointly organized by the German Academy for Language and Literature, the S. Fischer Stiftung, Debates on Europe, and the ZfL.
Programm
Friday, 12 Jun 2026
3.30 pm
Panel discussion
Thinking, Speaking and Writing Under Pressure #1: Academic Freedom
Moderator: Volker Weichsel (Editor at Osteuropa; DE)
Speakers:
- Giga Zedania (Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies, Ilia State University; GE)
- Dubravka Stojanović (Professor of History, University of Belgrade; RS)
- Zsófia Bán (writer and Associate Professor of Visual Culture Studies at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design; HU)
A panel discussion on free speech. Across Europe fundamental democratic freedoms are being undermined. Academic freedom is no exception. Be it economic or political pressure, structural reforms or the primacy of “useable knowledge” over “critical thinking” schools and universities are under attack. Georgian and international scholars will identify the current threats and their historical background. Are there strategies to defend the academic and educational system?
Welcome Addresses by:
- Nino Doborjginidze (Rector, Ilia State University; GE)
- Zane Rungule (Chargée d’Affaires, EU Delegation to Georgia)
- Carl Henrik Fredriksson (Programme Director, Debates on Europe; SE/AT)
6.30 pm
Keynote Speech by Karl Schlögel
Introduction by Nino Doborjginidze (Rector, Ilia State University; GE)
German historian and recent recipient of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, Karl Schlögel, on how the fall of the Soviet empire but also the Russian wars on Ukraine and Georgia call for a radical re-evaluation and re-conceptualization of European history and the present moment. Not mainly as a reckoning, but to come
closer to the truth.
7.30 pm
Panel discussion
De-Centering the Story, Re-Writing History
What does de-colonization and re-centering mean for Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space? In recent years, there is increasing recognition that Russia’s colonial history and its continuing imperial practices must be addressed. A prominent international panel of historians tries to find out how this political and cultural imperialism should be understood and what histories it has erased or pushed to the margins. What happens when the cultures of Eastern Europe are no longer treated as secondary to those of Russia or Western Europe but are instead recognized as essential parts of Europe’s story?
Moderator: Zaal Andronikashvili (literary scholar and author, ZfL/Ilia State University; DE/GE)
Speakers:
- Karl Schlögel (historian, writer and Professor Emeritus of East European History at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt, Oder; DE)
- Peter Englund (historian and writer, member of the Swedish Academy; SE)
- Nutsa Batiashvili (Professor of Anthropology and Dean of the Graduate School at the Free University of Tbilisi; GE)
Saturday, 13 Jun 2026
7 pm
The Tbilisi Speech to Europe by Michal Hvorecký