On 26 February 2026, a nearly two hour public discussion on the book Stuck in the Semi-Periphery? Central Europe Between Capitalism and Climate Change by Richard Filčák brought a full audience to the library of the Goethe-Institut.

The event, organised by Proforum and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Slovakia, explored how Central Europe, with its industrial legacy, high energy intensity and semi peripheral position, can navigate the tensions between economic growth models and ecological limits shaping Europe’s future.

CELSI researcher Monika Martisková contributed to the debate alongside Brigita Schmognerova (President of Proforum), Richard Stahel (Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the Slovak Academy of Sciences), and Richard Filcak (Director of the Institute for Forecasting at the Slovak Academy of Sciences).

The discussion addressed the broader question of whether, and under what conditions, a transition toward sustainability is possible in Central Europe, and what trade offs such a transition entails for labour markets, public policy and regional development.

🎥 The video recording of the discussion (in Slovak) at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVRuRSMlA-k

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