28th Annual Conference of Central European Political Science Association (CEPSA) "Twenty Years of EU Membership: Lessons Learned, Challenges and Opportunities", 3rd-4th of October 2024, Kaunas, Lithuania

of Central European Political Science Association (CEPSA) took place in Kaunas, Lithuania, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the accession of eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) states, along with Cyprus and Malta, to the European Union in 2004, which finally ended the division of Europe after the Second World War.For many of these countries, joining the EU meant a return to their rightful place as Europeans.Despite years of totalitarian rule, the people of CEE countries never stopped claiming their European identity.For Europe, the EU enlargement presented a unique opportunity to unify a previously divided continent and extend the peace project across most of the region while continuing to build the entire continent on the same set of values: democracy, the rule of law, and the respect for fundamental freedoms and rights.For the new EU member countries, EU accession required a decade of reforms necessary for implementing the so called 'acquis' , convincing citizens that feared the idea of opening the market and overcoming reluctance in Member States towards enlargement.