Democracy is Europe. Remember to revive - Union of European Federalists

Read here the Final report send to European Commission LINK

Read here the Final report with the implemented activities LINK

Watch here the website LINK

Online (Germany) from 1-3 december 2020 in collaboration with EUD

Training + Public debate. The event took place in three different sessions online: Historical, Practical, and Discursive.

The series of events kicked off with a very personal look into German history. The political scientist and journalist Ingo Espenschied presented a historical multimedia show. During his “Doku live” presentation, he took the audience on a journey through East-West-German history: from the division of Germany after World War 2 to reunification in a united Europe. In the course of his multimedia show, he also showed very clearly the undemocratic and unfree nature of the GDR’s political system. Birgit Kößling, the Europa-Union’s national director, participated as a contemporary witness. She gave a stirring and differentiated account of her experiences as a young GDR citizen and of the famous “Monday demonstrations” in Leipzig. “We took to the streets for democracy and the rule of law, freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” she stressed, expressing great concern that today people were misusing the slogans of the protests back then to propagate demands directed against the free democratic basic order of the FRG. The audience was able to ask questions via live chat.

At the “Defending Democracy – Radically Polite” training session with experts from the “Kleiner Fünf” initiative, pupils and students learned how they can successfully counter anti-democratic views, prejudices and group-focused enmity in their everyday life. The trainers presented the key elements of right-wing populism and anti-democratic rhetoric and gave input on how to react to it. During practical exercises on Eurosceptic statements, the participants were able to put the conversational techniques presented at the beginning of the training directly into practice. In order to create a good discussion.

On the third evening, participants were invited to an interactive Citizens’ Dialogue from the series “Europe – We need to talk!”. Following the question “What do we think about democracy and the rule of law today?” it focussed on the lessons learned from the past and the democratic challenges the EU is facing in the present. Dr. Marek Prawda, representative of the European Commission in Poland, and Selmin Çalışkan, Director of Institutional Relations at the Berlin office of the Open Society Foundations, reported on the state of democracy and the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. In doing so, however, they made clear that there are also repeated attacks on the rule of law in many other EU member states. The many questions from the audience also showed how urgent the topic is felt to be. In order to allow all participants to engage in the event and to share their views, the online tool “Mentimeter” was used. Participants were able to either ask their questions orally or to submit their questions and comments via this online tool. As a further input for the debate, all participants were invited to answer the following question via Mentimeter: “The EU is a community of values. What is non-negotiable for you?”. A special feature of the citizens’ dialogue was the live graphic recording of the event. Christine Oymann recorded the discussion in a graphic representation, which she presented to the participants at the end of the event. This creative summary was an innovative conclusion to the citizens’ dialogue.

Online (Hungary) from 22 to 23 January 2021 in collaboration with UEF Hungary

On February 9, 2021, a court decision ruled that the Hungary’s National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) ‘s original decision to block the automatic extension of the talk and news station’s broadcast, Klubrádió licence was legal. Back in September 2020, the radio application for 92.2 frequency request was assessed unsuccessfully. At the basis of its unsuccessful application, its “unlawful” financial management and the fact that the programme package did not comply with the essential requirements of radio broadcasting. The mentioned NMHH, the body deciding about bid and tender of media frequency in Hungary is appointed and controlled by the ruling party Fidesz.

The media authority controlled by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been trying to take action against Klubrádió for years claiming fictitious violations of rules. The independent broadcasting station had been critical towards Orbán government in the past. According to the International Press Institute and the interview released by Andras Arató, Klubrádió Director, denounced two minor errors in the application documents, a radio show specified as 5 minutes shorter than its actual length and a program repetition. Furthermore, if the Media Council classified the radio financial situation as precarious and illegal, it did it aware of the fact that this precariousness is due to the governmental attempt to weaken independent media economic capacity.

Klubrádió stopped officially broadcasting on February 14th 2021, after 20 years. It is maintaining its activities, news reporting and talk radio programmes only through live-streaming online broadcasts.

The European institutions expressed several times their concerns on the Hungarian media freedom situation.

Several Members of the European Parliament spoke in favour of the independent media and the people affected by Orbán policies and political choices. In mid- February 2021, 80 Members of the European Parliament signed a letter to the European Commission and to the Council of the European Union urging them to take action against the restriction of press freedom in Hungary and Poland.

The European Commission widely criticized the Hungarian media laws and also released specific recommendations to overcome the excessive range of powers allocated to the Media Council. Last May the media law has been amended to enforce these powers, also limiting the courts’ possibility to review the Media Council decisions. On March 10, 2021, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova addressed the latest worrying developments characterizing Hungary and media freedom, as well as Poland.

Christian Wigand, the European Commission spokesperson, in February, ensured that the Commission would assess the compatibility of the Hungarian court decision on the radio application against the EU laws and whether this has been respected while ruling the decision.

According to the Reporters Without Borders ‘s 2020 Freedom Index, Hungary ranks 89 on 189 countries.

Why we talk about Klubrádió? A Few days before our event about Hungary, organized with our partners on the field, UEF Hungary and JEF Hungary, UEF Hungary Secretary General, Eszter Nagy, Hungarian former Diplomat, presented the Democracy is Europe project and the related event on Hungary in a programme hosted by Klubrádió. For us, this was not only a way of disseminating information on our activities and events, but above all a way to support independent media in a country where they are facing restrictions and limitations.

Eszter Nagy summarised the situations follow:

“Klubrádió has been gradually deprived of its frequencies starting with the regional ones, until their last frequency has expired on February 14, 2021, and the Media Council hasn’t renewed it for them in spite of being the only applicant radio for this frequency. So, Klubrádió has been forced to the online sphere. They also face continuous financial difficulties due to the structure of the media advertising market: state companies tend not to advertise in independent media outlets, and even other businesses are afraid to do so fearing potential repercussions from the government. So Klubrádió decided to regularly conduct fundraising campaigns asking support from its listeners. Klubrádió has been the only radio with an independent news service, while all other radios use the news service provided by the Hungarian News Agency https://hirado.hu/rovatok/in-english/, a news agency fully dominated by the government.”

Click here to see the last moments of Hungarian broadcasting channel Klubrádió before switching to online modality.

Check out our first session, Democracy at the system change: a dream come true?

Online (Lithuania) 8,10 and 12 March 2021

Reflecting on what the EU means for the democracy of a country, there is always a need to look back at its history. The question which arises is: which factors led to the establishment of the political order that we know today? During the three sessions event Lithuania 1990 – 2021: 31 years of Independence and 17 years in the European Union, the country’s history was examined under different aspects. The session showed that European values and the belief in a community already existed in the minds of the Lithuanian civilization when it came to independence. Especially in difficult times like those we are facing today, this confidence in a common goal is very important.

Day 1 -From an occupied state to an independent actor

Day 2 - Lithuania’s accession to the EU in 2003

Day 3 - Celebrating Lithuanian independence: remembering to revive

Hybrid event (Estonia), 23 and 24 April 2021in collaboration with the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at University of Tartu

On April 23 and 24 the Democracy is Europe project stopped again in the Baltic region, this time focusing on the most digitalised country in the EU, Estonia. A two days grassroots event took place in Tartu, co-organised by the John Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the Tartu University. The event, divided in different sessions started from Estonian singing revolution in the early nineties, and debated how Estonia transition could be a model for other struggling nations.

These issues have been debated with scholars and experts in transitions countries and in small states security dimension and strategy: Dr. David Beecher(Expatriate Estonian Visiting Professor – University of Tartu/UC Berkeley), Dr. Stefano Braghiroli (Associate Professor of European Studies – University of Tartu), and Dr. Heiko Pääbo (Lecturer in Politics of the Baltic Sea Region Countries – University of Tartu), Prof. Andrey Makarychev (Professor of Regional Political Studies – University of Tartu), Mr. Micheal Cole (Junior Research Fellow in Political Science – University of Tartu), and Ms. Mari – Liis Sulg (Doctoral Candidate – University of Tartu).

After the transition period, all the Baltics experienced the EU – NATO accession process; the first one, was important to come back to a market economy system and also to rejoin the European college of states with a free and democratic electoral system. The second process, the NATO accession one, was seen as a security measure against potential external threats, namely the now- former USSR, Russia. The role Estonia could play in inspiring other nations struggling for democracy was also analysed, above all on a regional level – Belarus. All the Eastern Partnership Countries were involved in this discussion as well as their strategy in their affirmation and relations with the EU. Numerous Estonian policy areas were brought as example of innovation for countries with the same issues and problems.

During the second day, participants, divided in working groups and facilitated by the University of Tartu team, prepared policy recommendations on EU policies in the field of democracy. The winning group of this competition has been awarded with a 250 euro voucher to be spent for art and culture material/activities. The event closed with a keynote speech by the former Estonian President Thomas IIves who explained Estonian towards the EU and its transition period as an insider.

The Working Group 3, formed by Aidan, Ekaterina, Sami and Nike was the one awarded with a Euro voucher to be spent in art and culture material!

Video DAY 1 - 23 April

Video DAY 2 - 24 April

Poland is the fastest autocratising country in the world. In the last decade, no other country has regressed so much from a liberal democracy to an electoral democracy. Yet Poland, with the Solidarności movement supported by the Catholic Church, played a decisive role in the peaceful revolution and democracy movements of 1989/90. In the meantime, conservative forces have turned away from the European values once aspired to, such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law. How can we explain rapid turn away from once common values? More importantly, how can we create a liberal democracy that is not perceived as a threat by conservative forces? Liberal democracy is characterised precisely by the EU’s guiding principle “united in diversity”: Liberals, conservatives, socialists and supporters of other world views all have an equal right to live their interpretation of our common values.

The two-day hybrid event started with an overview of the path of Poland in the European Union. Participants discussed with eyewitnesses the role of Solidarności Movement to better understand how current political opponents once strove for shared European values. A concluding panel debate focused on current challenges to liberal democracy in Poland. How can Europe and Poland find a solution to the increasing tension over European values? How can Poland return to becoming a liberal democracy? Right after this rich morning, UEF orgnanised a guided tour through the most significant place of the communist period and the revolution. A final training session provided up to 20 democratic activators with insights into the latest research findings on backsliding liberal democracy in Central and Eastern Europe.

Video Day 1 - 21 October 2021

Video Day 2 - 22 October 2022

“Backsliding democracy in Central and Eastern Europe” has become a common topic in current political debates. However, Czechia is one of the countries in the region, remaining among the group of the 20% best performing liberal democracies on the globe. With its neighbouring countries, it shares a common history of peaceful revolutions and democratic movements of the late 1980s. Democracy, freedom, and the pursuit of a unified Europe were core demands of these movements. While European values have come under severe pressure in the region, the Czechs have not turned their backs on their values of 30 years ago, the Czech democracy being comparatively stronger than in other Central and Eastern Europe countries.

The two-day hybrid event starts with an overview of the path of Czechia in the European Union and a training session with insights into the latest research findings on backsliding liberal democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. The second day starts with personal insights into the Czech peaceful revolution in order to better understand why it strove for European values. The following panel debate will discuss the signs of democratic deterioration, Euroscepticism and populism in Czechia. It will address current challenges to liberal democracy, as well as the question of why Czechia is a more stable democracy than other countries with a Soviet legacy. A final guided tour through the most significant places of the communist period and the revolution – Old Town Square, Narodni, Wenceslas Monument and Charles University completes the program.

Video Day 1

Video Day 2

One year ago, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) embarked on the “Democracy is Europe: Remember to Revive” journey across the Baltics and Central and Eastern Europe. Two main ideas were behind this: on one hand, to raise awareness about the central role of European values in the revolutions of 1989-1991; on the other hand, to encourage a reflection on the future of Europe, European democracy and the Rule of Law. After our online stops in Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, and our physical ones in Gdańsk (PL) and Prague (CZ), UEF’s #DemocracyIsEurope project is coming to an end with our final conference in Brussels on 2-3 December 2021.
Brussels is the chosen scenario in which the project “democracy activators”, participants, stakeholders and researchers presented and discussed the outcomes of the project, commemorated membership in the EU of the aforementioned Member states, and advocated for further European integration based on the strengthening and protection of democracy and the Rule of Law.

Day 1 - 2 December Final Conference : Presentation of the project outcomes

Day 1 - 2 December - Defending and strengthening democracy in the EU: Art7 of TEU & Conditionality

Day 2 - 3 December - Final Conference - European democracy in the Conference on the Future of Europe

Day 2 - 3 December - Final Conference - Media freedom in Central Europe

The Democracy is Europe Project, co-funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union, aims at raising awareness of remembrance, common history and values, and the Union’s aim that is to promote peace, its values, and the well-being of its peoples by stimulating debate, reflection, and development of networks. It takes place from October 2020 to December 2021.

General objective of the project: Contribute to citizens’ understanding of the Union, its history and diversity by raising awareness on the centrality of the European ideals in the transitions/revolutions of 1989-1991, and encouraging a reflection on the future of such values in Europe and the EU future.

Specific objectives of the project:

Raise awareness of remembrance, common history and values and the Union’s aim hat is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples by stimulating debate, reflection and development of networks.
Promote a reflection beyond the usual pro-European circles, including citizens usually not engaged on EU issues.
Foster European citizens’ participation by training “democracy activators”, partnering up with local stakeholders and CSOs and engaging testimonies from the past.
Connect the historical dimension of civil society and civic participation in the democratic transitions of 1989-1991, with the dimension of civil society engagement for the defense and promotion of democracy and rule of law today.
Use European remembrance as a source of inspiration to fight against the degeneration of liberal democracies and Euroscepticsm today.

PARTNERS

Union of European Federalists
JEF Europe
Garage Erasmus Foundation
UEF Hungary
UEF Lithuania
University of Tartu
Europa Union Deutschland