Report from the oxford debate Jean Monnet Chair EUCRIS: Brexit will weaken the European Union

On the 20th of May 2019 the Oxford debate took place at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. It was organized by the Chair of Studies on Integration Processes within the framework of the Jean Monnet Chair EUCRIS project. The thesis of the debate was the following: Brexit will weaken the European Union.

The competition was attended by two teams, each consisting of students of international relations at the JU Institute of Political Science and International Relations. The proposition side defending the thesis was represented by Katarzyna Imburska, Mateusz Musiał, Aleksandra Bojarska, Natalia Habryn. The opposition side contesting the thesis was composed of Szymon Pazera, Michał Sojka, Tomasz Błachowicz, Ilona Poseliuzhna. Supervision over the debate was carried out by two members of the JMC EUCRIS team, Adam Kirpsza, Ph.D., who was the mentor of the first group (proposition) and Agnieszka Nitszke, Ph.D., who looked after the second group (opposition). The debate was moderated by Michał Dulak, Ph.D.

The competition was assessed by the jury consisting of three members: prof. dr hab. Zdzisław Mach (Dean of the Faculty of International and Political Relations Jagiellonian University), prof. dr hab. Janusz Węc (the JMC EUCRIS project manager and the Team Europe network expert.), and  Zbigniew Czubiński, Ph.D. (Institute of Political Science and International Relations, Jagiellonian University).

The debate was extremely fierce. Finally, the Jury decided by zero to three that the opposition team won the debate.

The audience's vote was held at the end of debate and its ballot was more balanced. 32 people agreed with the argumentation of the proposition team, but at the same time 33 members of audience were persuaded by the opposition team.

fot. Katedra Studiów nad Procesami Integracyjnymi