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Forum History

 

The Forum was established by the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe  (Warsaw, May 2005), to strengthen democracy, political freedoms and citizens' participation.

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Forum previous sessions

2011

(Limassol, Cyprus, October)

Interdependence of democracy and social cohesion.

New: Proceedings

"Radical measures taken in many countries to try to balance public budgets are both necessary and understandable” but  “Countries are running a high risk of seriously undermining the European model of social cohesion.”  declared Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland while opening the Cyprus Forum.

2010

(Yerevan, October)

Perspectives 2020 Democracy in Europe - Principles and Challenges

Proceedings

 

''The Council of Europe has a unique strategic role to play in strengthening good democratic governance at all levels in the European space''. Democracy, or rather good democratic governance, is now not only intrinsically linked to the respect of human rights but is also recognised as the most effective form of governance to ensure stability, sustainability and well-being.

 That was the main message of the 2010 Forum.

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2009

(Kyiv, October)

Electoral systems: strengthening democracy in the 21st century

(Proceedings)

 "In a genuine democracy, the citizen is sovereign and the voter decides" - that was the main message of the 2009 Forum, which highlighted the need for greater public involvement, with a view to increasing voter turnout and ensuring that all stages of public life are democratic..

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2008

(Madrid, October)

"E-democracy: who dares?"

 

The discussions addressed the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on democracy.

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2007

(Stockholm, June)

"Power and empowerment - The interdependence of democracy and human rights"

 

This event addressed issues such as the role and responsibilities of the opposition, representative democracy at the local and regional level, empowerment of the individual and non-discrimination, respect for freedom of expression and association for civil society, and fostering democracy, human rights and social networks.

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2006

(Moscow, October)

"The role of political parties in the building of democracy"

 

The Forum reflected on  the role and responsibilities of political parties in finding democratic solutions to contemporary challenges, the interaction between political parties and with other actors in the democratic process, and the building and strengthening of democratic institutions.

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Launch meeting (Warsaw, November 2005)

"Citizens' participation"

 

 

The discussions addressed the state of contemporary democracy in Europe.

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Previous projects

("Making

Democratic institutions work")

 
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COUNCIL OF EUROPE DEMOCRACY DEBATES

 

The Democracy Debate series has been initiated by the Secretary General in order to stimulate in-house reflection and discussion on the developments and challenges affecting our societies, thereby fostering innovative thinking and action within the Organisation helping to forge the role of the Council of Europe as a laboratory for new concepts and ideas on democracy.

 

 

The first 2012 debate (sixth Debate) was introduced by Ayşe Kadioglu on Friday, 16 March.  During the 2011 season, Democracy Debates have been given by Žiga Turk (5 April), Zygmunt Bauman (16 June), John Keane (5 July), Ivan Krastev (24 November) and Jacques Rupnik (13 December).

 

7th Debate - 3 April 2012, Palais de l'Europe)

 

‘Europe at Risk: The Cosmopolitan Turn’

by Prof. Ulrich BECK

 

Ulrich Beck is Professor for Sociology at the University of Munich, and the British Journal of Sociology Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.  Beck is co-editor of Soziale Welt and of the books Edition Second Modernity at Suhrkamp. From 1995-1997 he was member of the Future Commission of the German Government.

His interests focus on 'risk society', 'institutionalized individualization', 'reflexive modernization', 'cosmopolitanism', 'cosmopolitization' and the 'emergence of cosmopolitan risk communities'. He was the director of a research centre at the University of Munich (in cooperation with three other universities in the area), Sonderforschungsbereich - Reflexive Modernization, financed 1999-2009 by the DFG (German Research Society). He has been a fellow of several scientific institutions, among others the Institute for Advanced Study Berlin in 1990-1991.

More on Ulrich Beck

Inaugural Debate

Strasbourg, 5 April 2011

"Europe in times of change:  Governance, democratic empowerment and the information age"

Professor Žiga Turk is former Minister for Growth in the Slovenian Government and former Secretary General of the Reflection Group on the Future of Europe, chaired by Felipe Gonzales.)

 

Abstract
"The world is not changing gradually, but with unprecedented rapidity through five grand transformations: (a) Abundance and automation, (b) the rise of BRIC and globalization, (c) climate change and energy revolution, (d) demographic changes and (e) electronic information and communication technology. (...)

 

Text of speech

Žiga TURK

2nd Debate

Strasbourg, 16 June 2011

"What is Central in Central Europe ?"

Zygmunt Bauman treated his audience to a tour d’horizon on how Europe’s global role today should be based on our success in convincing former enemies that the future is shared and to be built collectively. This is the European model and its roots encompass central and eastern Europe as much as western Europe.

 

webcast

 

Text of speech

Zygmunt BAUMAN

3rd Debate

Strasbourg, 5 July 2011

 

"Democracy in the Age of Google, Facebook and WikiLeaks"

John Keane is Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney and at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB). He is the Director of the recently founded Sydney Democracy Initiative which fosters cross-disciplinary projects and public policy debates on all matters concerning democracy. During his many years in Britain, The Times ranked him one of the country’s leading political thinkers and a writer whose work has ‘world-wide importance’. He is the author of the recent and widely acclaimed book Life and Death of Democracy.

Webcast

Text of speech

 

 

John KEANE

4th Debate

Strasbourg, 24 November 2011

 

"Europe in Crisis: is liberal democracy at risk?"

Political scientist Ivan Krastev is the chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Bulgaria.

 

He is a founding member and board member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

 

He contributes frequently to leading European and American publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Le Monde, and The Financial Times, among others.

 

Editor in chief of the Bulgarian edition of Foreign Policy, his books in English include The Anti-American Century (2007).

 

Audio recording

Text of speech

 

Ivan KRASTEV

5th Debate

Strasbourg, 13 December 2011

 

"Europe and the Democratisation of its Neighbourghoods"

Jacques Rupnik is a political scientist and historian specialising in central and eastern European issues. He is Research Director at FNSP/CERI (National Foundation of Political Science / Centre for International Studies and Research), Paris, and Visiting Professor at the Collège d'Europe, Bruges. A Director of the quarterly Review Transeuropéennes, he has been a Professor at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris since 1982 and an advisor to the European Commission since 2007. He is the Chairman of the club « Grande Europe ».

Among its most recent publications :  (with Ch.Lequesne) 1989 :Europe and the World transformed, London, Routledge, 2011 ; Les banlieues de l'Europe. Les politiques de voisinage de l’Union européenne, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2007 ;L'Europe des Vingt-Cinq. 25 cartes pour un jeu complexe, (avec Christian Lequesne), Paris, Autrement, 2004 (nouvelle ed. 2005).

More on Jacques Rupnik

'Europe a

Jacques RUPNIK

nd the Demratisation o its

Sixth Debate

Strasbourg, 16 March 2012

 

"The role of Islam

in the democratic transformation of Arab countries"

 

 

Ayşe Kadioğlu is a Professor of Political Science at Sabancı University, Istanbul. She holds a PhD in Political Science, Boston University (1990), MA in International Relations, The University of Chicago (1984) and a BS in Political Science, Middle East Technical University (1982).  She was one of the nine members of the Group of Eminent Persons of the Council of Europe that drafted the report ‘Living together in 21st century Europe – Combining Diversity and Freedom in 21st Century Europe’.  

She is the author of three books and of various articles in scientific journals e.g. Middle East Journal, Middle Eastern Politics, International Migration, Muslim World, Citizenship Studies, Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, Middle East Law and Governance.  She is the co-editor (with Fuat Keyman) of Symbiotic Antagonisms: Competing Nationalisms in Turkey.

More on Ayşe Kadioğlu 

Ayşe Kadıoğlu