Watch live: Open Society Forum discusses EP elections and civil ...
On Friday, the XXVII Open Society Forum will host two debates discussing civil society's impact on electoral processes and the 2024 European Parliament elections in June. ERR News will livestream both discussions.
In the current global landscape, we can observe a continuing and concerning trend of democratic decline and the surge of populism. Societies that were once open have become more closed, institutions tasked with protecting our rights are under pressure. All of this has been facilitated by the widespread dissemination of disinformation, exacerbating conflicts among different segments of society.
However, despite the challenges facing democracy, there are also some positive developments. The 2023 parliamentary elections in Poland showed that with the joint efforts of civil society and political mobilization, it is possible to reverse authoritarian trends. While each country has its unique characteristics, they also share common problems that may have shared solutions. To address these issues effectively, cooperation among civil society actors is essential.
As Europe gears up for the 2024 European Parliament elections and other significant national and local electoral events, the strategies employed by civil societies become pivotal. These strategies aim to actively engage citizens in democratic processes, fostering their involvement in co creating a democratic public space
Agenda
1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Opening of the XXVII Open Society Forum
Welcoming address by Mall Hellam, executive director of the Open Estonia Foundation
Keynote speech via video message by European Commission Vice-president for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica
Keynote speech by H.E. Marius Dirdal, ambassador of Norway to Estonia.
1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m: Civil society's impact on electoral processes – how to win elections
At the first part of the forum, experts from Estonia, Poland and Slovakia will discuss, how to actively engage citizens in democratic processes and promote their participation in shaping the democratic public sphere. The panel is in English.
Speakers: Tarmo Jüristo, columnist and founder of SALK, Estonia; Ewa Kulik-Bielińska, director of the Stefan Batory Foundation, Poland; Fedor Blaščák, Director of the Open Society Foundation Slovakia.
The discussion will be moderated by Bart Cosijn, moderator, trainer, and founder of the Estonian Dialogue Academy.
3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m: Estonia's 20 years in the European Union: Is this the Europe we wanted?
Candidates for the EP elections (June 6-9) will participate in this debate, which will take place in Estonian with simultaneous English translation.
Participants: Marina Kaljurand (Social Democratic Party), Erki Savisaar (Center Party), Yoko Alender (Reform), Arvo Aller (EKRE), Hendrik Johannes Terras (Estonia 200) and Jüri Ratas (Isamaa).
The debate will be moderated by Margo Loor, trainer and moderator at Speaksmart.
Online viewers are encouraged to ask questions from EP candidates through Slido.
The European Parliament elections will take place on June 6-9. This time they hold special significance for Estonia, as exactly 20 years ago, Estonia, along with several other European countries, became a full-fledged member of the European Union.
However, the post-accession optimism has somewhat diminished: democracy has been declining both in Europe and worldwide, civic space is narrowing, the war in Ukraine shows no signs of ending, there is a growing sense of polarization, and inflation and climate change affect everyone.
Yet, as one of the founders of the European community, Jean Monnet, observed, Europe is built in crises and it will be composed of the solutions to those crises. To emerge from crises, it is crucial to have dialogue and cooperation between decision-makers and citizens. How can we more effectively involve people in decision-making processes and encourage them to engage in European issues? How can we collectively manage crises and strengthen democracy? What have we learned as EU members over the past 20 years?
These are some of the questions regarding democracy and the future of the EU that we aim to address in the European Parliament candidate debate.
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