Conference on Sovereignty and Presidency Meetings in Paris
The International conference “Souveraineté nationale, souveraineté européenne, l'une et l'autre”, organised by the French Committee for the Pan-European Union, was held on 26 June 2026 at the Palais du Luxembourg, in the Médicis Hall of the Senate.
The programme continued on 27 June 2026 with the meetings of the Presidency and the Enlarged Presidency of the International Pan-European Union at the Campanile Hotel in Paris.
The conference brought together more than one hundred participants from around ten European countries, including representatives of French and European institutions, the diplomatic corps, academia and Pan-European organisations.
Among the speakers were Alain Terrenoire, Honorary President of Paneuropa France and of the International Pan-European Union, and former Member of the European Parliament; Éric Campion, President of Paneuropa France and Vice-President of the International Pan-European Union; Jean-François Rapin, Chairman of the Senate Committee on European Affairs; together with a number of distinguished European experts in law, security, defence, energy and emerging technologies.
In his address, the President of the International Pan-European Union, Pavo Barišić, emphasised that Europe is today confronted with challenges that transcend the capacities of individual states and require common European action.
"It is no longer sufficient to ask who decides. It is equally important to ask who is capable of acting," Barišić stated, stressing that security threats, migration and climate change demand coordinated European responses.
Addressing the relationship between national and European sovereignty, Barišić rejected the notion that they are mutually exclusive concepts. "National sovereignty and European sovereignty do not exclude one another—they reinforce one another," he said, underlining that European integration does not entail the abandonment of national identity or statehood, but rather strengthens both through cooperation.
He concluded that sharing sovereignty does not mean relinquishing political autonomy, but preserving it in a world of growing interdependence: "In today's world, sovereignty can be shared without being diminished; indeed, it can thereby be further strengthened."
The discussion focused on the relationship between national and European sovereignty, strengthening Europe's resilience, and the role of the European Union in addressing today's security, economic and geopolitical challenges. Participants shared the conviction that Europe can build its strength only through cooperation, the preservation of democratic values and responsible common action.
The day after the conference, on Saturday, 27 June, the Presidency of the International Pan-European Union, the meeting of the Pan-European Youth, and the Enlarged Presidency of the International Pan-European Union were held.
The Enlarged Presidency adopted a Resolution calling for the inclusion of the candidate countries of the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova in the process of developing the European Union's strategic autonomy.
Programme (FR) (PDF)
Resolution (EN) (PDF)