The First Central and Eastern European Degrowth Conference Successfully Concluded

In June, the first Central and Eastern European Degrowth Conference was successfully held, co-organized by the Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic).

The four-day event took place at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, and attracted approximately 200 participants from across the region and beyond. Attendees included researchers, representatives of civil society organizations and social movements, trade union professionals, and artists. The conference aimed to provide a platform for academic and practical dialogue on sustainability transitions, social justice, and degrowth.

In addition to scientific presentations, the conference placed a strong emphasis on participatory and community-based activities. Participants had the opportunity to attend workshops, visual and performing arts programs, and community-building events such as collective gardening and nature walks.

The conference was organized within the framework of the “Bridging Green and Just” project, supported by the International Visegrad Fund. The project brings together the following partner institutions:

· Jagiellonian University (Poland), Faculty of Management and Social Communication – Coordinator

· Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic), Department of Environmental Studies

· Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), Department of Regional Science and Management

· University of Szeged (Hungary), Institute of Ecological Economics

Researchers from the Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, actively contributed to the conference through several presentations and professional programs:

· Opening roundtable: Bridging Green and Just in CEE (Zoltan Bajmocy, Eva Fraňková, Maciej Grodzicki, Anna Kötelesová, Zofia Łapniewska)

· Paper presentation: Machines Out, Humans In? Bringing Low-tech and Diverse Economies Into Ecological Macroeconomic Models" (Martin Černý, Eva Fraňková, Lukas Heck)

· Paper presentation: Degrowth From the East – Between Quietness and Contention. Collaborative Learnings From the Zagreb Degrowth Conference (Lilian Pungas, Ondřej Kolínský, Lucie Sovová, Eva Fraňková)

· Panel debate: Decolonising Degrowth? Challenging Western Epistemic Dominance through Central and Eastern European Perspectives (Logan Strenchock, Orsolya Lazányi, Mladen Domazet, Eva Fraňková, Janas Gebauer, Lilian Pungas, facilitator: Vincent Liegey)

· Workshop: Growing CEE Degrowth – Networking and Future Collaboration Workshop (Eva Fraňková, Katarína Kováčová, Ondřej Kolínský, Lilian Pungas).

The conference represents an important milestone in strengthening the community of scholars and practitioners working on degrowth and sustainability transitions in Central and Eastern Europe. The event provided a valuable opportunity for knowledge exchange among researchers and practitioners across the region, while also fostering new collaborations aimed at building a socially just and ecologically sustainable future.

Further information about the project is available on the project website.