From the Fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 to the Enlargemet of the European Union in 2004
- Date: 1.5.2009 — 1.5.2009
- Venue: Prague Congress Centre, Czech Republic
- Category: Conferences and Seminars
The one-day conference will be held on the day when the Czech Republic marks the 5th anniversary of its entry into the European Union. The conference will be an accompanying event of the Czech Presidency of the European Union, held under the auspices of Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs, Alexandr Vondra.
The conference will look back on the events of 1989 and analyse their impact on the European integration process. Discussion panels attended by a number of high-level speakers will focus on themes such as the role of the EU enlargement in the unification of Europe, the restoration of democracy in Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the importance of a functional civil society and democratic values for the functioning of democracies and preserving the memory of Europe’s historical experience.
PROGRAMME
- 8:45 – 9:15 Registration of delegates
- 9:15 – 10:00 Opening speeches
Chair: Oldřich Černý, Executive Director, Forum 2000 Foundation
Speakers:
Alexandr Vondra, Czech Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs
Marek Vocel, Chairman of the Board, NGO Opona, o.p.s.
Ján Figeľ, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth
- 10:00 – 11:30 Panel I: Role of the EU Enlargement in the Unification of Europe – Reflections on the Past and Perspectives for the Future
Chair: Lenka Rovná, Jean Monnet Professor, Charles University
Speakers:
Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Enlargement
Karel Schwarzenberg, President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council and Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ursula Plassnik, Member of the Austrian Parliament
Hido Biščević, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council
Discussion - 11:30 - 11:45 Coffee break
- 11:45 – 13:15 Panel II: Fall of the Iron Curtain in Central and Eastern Europe and the Restoration of Democracy Accompanied by the Emergence of Civil Society and Civic Participation
Chair: Pavol Demeš, Director of the German Marshall Fund, Slovakia
Speakers:
Pavel Žáček, Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
Lee Edwards, Chairman of Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, USA
Marek Benda, Chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Czech Parliament
Sylvie Goulard, President of Mouvement Européen, France
Elzbieta Matynia, expert on democratic transformation in Central and Eastern Europe, lecturer at the New School for Social Research, USA
Discussion - 13:15 – 14:00 Lunch break
- 13:15 – 13:30 Interactive presentation of the exhibition “The Totality Simulator”, Opona, o.p.s.
- 14:00 – 15:30 Panel III: The Challenge of Dealing with Europe’s Past; Between Preserving the Memory and Strengthening Democratic Values
Chair: Martin Bútora, co-founder of the movement the Public Against Violence in 1989, Honorary President of the Institute for Public Affairs
Speakers:
Vytautas Landsbergis, former President of Lithuania and Member of the European Parliament
Tomáš Sedláček, analyst, Charles University lecturer
Gergely Romsics, historian, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs
Jan Zahradil, Member of the European Parliament
Discussion - 15:30 – 15:45 Concluding Remarks
Pierre Mairesse, Director for Youth, Sport and Citizenship, DG Education and Culture, European Commission
Cyril Svoboda, Minister for Regional Development
Cocktail Party
- Organisers of the Event: DG for Education and Culture, DG for Enlargement, Czech Presidency of the European Union, Opona, o.p.s.
- Totalitarian Circus - Celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain
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