"We are opening a new centre in exceptionally turbulent times" - Some remarks from our inaugural conference

"One might say that there's nothing special about us gathering to discuss important issues like the future of Europe. But I disagree. We are opening our centre in exceptionally turbulent times. The Western world, and especially Europe, is facing a number of serious challenges."

"It is not just the soaring gas and electricity prices or the cost-of-living crisis that European economies and families have to cope with, but we witness unprecedented intellectual debates polarizing our political discourse, weakening our competitiveness and our ability to act."

"In such difficult times, there is a bigger need for the MCC than ever."

With these words Dr. Balazs Orban, chairman of the board of trustees for MCC opened the first-ever event by the newly established MCC Brussels.

Explaining the strategy behind Mathias Corvinus Collegium's expansion to the European capital, and the strategy of brining young Hungarian students to the European Union, Dr. Orban continued: "Our goal is to prepare our students to be the next patriotic generation of Hungary that is talented, open-minded, internationally experienced, and competitive. We worked out a unique, unorthodox training system to achieve this. A method that provides knowledge and develops skills alongside the traditional education system, assisting young students from primary school until their post-university years."

"We would like to equip our students with skills to stand their ground internationally too. That is why we host renowned foreign scholars and guest researchers at the MCC from all over the world. We have visiting professors from the United States, from Europe, and from the East too. We are proud of the diversity of ideas we present and the free space we offer as a platform for discussion to our students, professors, and guests equally."

"We believe talent development and research go hand in hand. Therefore, besides our educational activities, we work as a think tank too. We have a number of institutes offering research workshops on climate policy, migration, education, youth research, and psychology. In these institutions, Hungarian and foreign scholars work together with our students, developing research skills in the process."

"Hungary on the contrary is a relatively new, small member state with 40 years of Communist past. Due to our successful economic policies in the past 12 years, we have become much stronger, but when it comes to the economy, we still have some catch-up to do compared to our Western European partners."

"But fortunately, there are other ways to contribute to the European project too. One of those is intellect. We want Hungary to contribute to the intellectual discussion about the future of Europe. And there is no doubt when it comes to talent, Hungary is a net contributor for sure."

"In the past years, the West and the European Union became mediocre and way too comfortable. They gave up improving themselves and staying competitive. They let false ideologies affect their sense of reality."

"But we don't believe in mediocrity – we believe in meritocracy. We would like to bring some intellectual clarity to the debate on our common future by offering a platform for the freedom of thought, critical thinking, and the possibility to argue, disagree, and resolve our differences."

"In achieving this, young talent will play a decisive role. We need citizens who, besides being critical, are also able and willing to stand up for values that matter. We need young people who are proud of their nation, their roots and heritage, and feel a strong sense of responsibility for their immediate and broader communities alike."

Frank Furedi, executive director of MCC Brussels in his first public address, told the packed audience at the Atomium: "To those who would write Europe off, I say this. What is often overlooked is that in Europe we have a diversity of nations, nations with powerful national cultures and with powerful imaginations that make history time and time again despite the odds."

Furedi addressed the question of what Europe means to us: "What is important to us at MCC Brussels is that we believe in Europe. We believe in the future of Europe, and we are optimistic about the possibilities. But there is one problem: and the problem is that many people in Europe and in the European Union do not really believe in the European project. They do not really believe that the legacy of Europe's past is worth adhering to. They do not really believe that what was achieved by the Greeks in ancient Athens or what the Roman Empire managed to contribute to us, or what the renaissance gave us in culture or that the judo Christian tradition helped us spiritually or in other ways to make sense of the world and what the enlightenment did not just for Europe but for the world – well they don't really believe that matters all that much."

Warning against those who dismiss the past as outdated and irrelevant, Furedi said, "For MCC Brussels to succeed and for Europe to succeed we must do a number of things. We need to challenge the prevailing zeitgeist in the cultural landscape. The sensibility of presentism tells us the past is best left behind and that we have nothing to learn from it as it is an embarrassment, and we should be ashamed of it. That is what teachers across Europe are telling children."

"But the problem is when you are cut off from the past it essentially means you are cut off from the future. You cannot embrace the future unless you are organically rooted in the past. As Orwell said: 'if you leave the past behind – you lose your way.'"

"Presentism limits our imaginations and leaves us unable to move forward."

Full audio of the opening remarks and the conference will be available online, follow @MCC_Brussels on Twitter to stay up to date.