The international scientific conference “COVID-19 in Central and Eastern Europe – Five Years Later: Lessons Learned and Preparedness for Future Pandemics” brought together scholars and experts from multiple European countries who, with the benefit of a five-year perspective, analyzed the global consequences of the pandemic and assessed how prepared societies and institutions are today for future challenges.
The conference was held in a hybrid format – both in person and online – and gathered more than thirty participants from Poland, Serbia, Romania, Cyprus, Ukraine, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, and Croatia. Among them were researchers from the Center for Legal Research at the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade, who delivered notable presentations.
The five-year temporal distance enabled a critical evaluation of the measures implemented during the pandemic and highlighted opportunities for improving existing policies and crisis management frameworks. Over two days of intensive discussions, participants examined the experiences and lessons of the pandemic, analyzing its broader social, legal, and institutional impacts.
The conference connected experts in law, public health, and social sciences, facilitating a multidimensional understanding of the pandemic not merely as a health crisis but also in terms of its legal and societal ramifications. This approach allowed participants to identify past shortcomings and consider new, improved strategies to enhance preparedness for potential future crises.
Such a scientific gathering also contributes to the development of joint policies and strategies, including the implementation of the Global Pandemic Agreement, which can strengthen capacities for prevention, monitoring, and response to health crises under conditions of uncertainty.
The conference was organized jointly by the Faculty of Law, Canon Law and Administration at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade. The participation of the Institute of Social Sciences and its researchers reflects the institution’s ongoing commitment to studying contemporary societal challenges and fostering international collaboration in law, public policy, and social sciences.