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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.

 (...)

 

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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Forum for the Future of Democracy

The Forum was established by the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Warsaw in May 2005. The aim of the Forum is to strengthen democracy, political freedoms and citizens’ participation through the exchange of ideas, information and examples of best practices. The proposals resulting from its discussions about possible future action contribute to enhancing the Council of Europe’s work in the field of democracy.

The Forum is a flagship event in the Council of Europe’s calendar. It brings together some 400 participants from the 47 Council of Europe member States and observer States representing public authorities (national parliamentarians, local and regional elected representatives, government officials) and civil society (INGOs, Electoral Commissions etc.).

In order to ensure transversality and maximum impact, the Forum process is governed by the Council of Europe’s quadripartite stakeholders made up of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Committee of Ministers and the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations. Other major stakeholders in the organisation of the 2009 Forum are the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), representatives of the European Union and other international organisations and academia. The Forum structure is outlined in the Revised Guidelines of the Forum for the Future of Democracy as endorsed by the Ministers’ Deputies at their 1090th meeting of 7 July 2010.
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The launch meeting was organised in Warsaw in November 2005 on the theme of “civic participation”, the second session in Moscow on 18-19 October 2006 on the theme “The role of political parties in the building of democracy”; the third session in Stockholm/Sigtuna (Sweden) from 13-15 June 2007 on the theme “Power and empowerment – the interdependence of democracy and human rights”. The fourth session of the Forum took place in Madrid (15-17 October 2008), on the theme « E-democracy », to discuss the potential of the new information technologies to strengthen democracy and increase participation.
The 2009 session took place in Kyiv, Ukraine from 21-23 October on the theme of “Electoral systems: strengthening democracy in the 21st century”.
On 19-21 October 2010, Armenia hosted the 6th Forum session on the theme “Perspectives 2020 – Democracy in Europe: Principles and challenges”. _________________________________

More information on previous Forum sessions :

- Warsaw Launch meeting 2005 - Press special file, Proceedings
- Moscow 2006 – Press special file, Proceedings
- Sigtuna-Stockholm 2007 – Press special file, Proceedings
- Madrid 2008 – Press special file, Proceedings, Forum video (on youtube), Video recording of keynote speeches, Programme (incl. links to presentations)
- Kyiv 2009 – Conclusions, Press special file
- Yerevan 2010 - Conclusions, Press special file