Home

Other projects

E-democracy projects

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.

(...)

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.

(...)

 

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..

(...)

 

2008

(Madrid, October)

"E-democracy: who dares?"

 

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

(...)

 

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.

(...)

 

Launch meeting (Warsaw, November 2005)

"Citizens' participation"

 

 

The discussions addressed the state of contemporary democracy in Europe.

(...)

Previous projects

("Making

Democratic institutions work")

 


    Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy

Stockholm/Sigtuna, Sweden 13–15 June 2007
Hosted by Sveriges Riksdag – the Swedish Parliament,
the Government of Sweden and
the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions

FFD(2007)1 E fin.

Stockholm/Sigtuna, 12 June 2007


Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy

Stockholm/Sigtuna, Sweden, 13–15 June 2007

Power and empowerment – the interdependence
of democracy and human rights

PROGRAMME

Wednesday 13 – DAY ONE

Morning Registration at Arlanda Airport

      Information will be available until 18.00 in terminals 2 and 5. Registration will take place at Arlanda Conference and Business Centre where there are also lounge facilities. Luggage will be taken care of and transported to the hotels.

11.30
12.00
15.00
17.30 Bus departures from Arlanda Airport to the Riksdag

As from Riksdag building accessible to participants
12.30 (Refreshments will be available)

13.30 Opening of the Forum for the Future of Democracy 2007

    in Stockholm/Sigtuna

Welcome by
- Mr Per WESTERBERG, Speaker of the Riksdag

Opening Speeches
- Mr Vuk JEREMIĆ Minister for Foreign Affairs, Serbia, Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Ministers
- Mr René van der LINDEN, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

- Ms Nyamko SABUNI, Swedish Minister for Integration and Gender Equality
- Mr Terry DAVIS, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

      - Mr Anders KNAPE, President of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions
      - Mr Halvdan SKARD, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

      - Follow-up to the Forum for the Future of Democracy 2006 in Moscow

        Ms Svetlana ORLOVA, Deputy Speaker of the Council of Federation, Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Head of the Russian Delegation to the Congress

      - Statement by a representative of the European Commission

        Ms Daničle SMADJA on behalf of the European Commission

Keynote speech on the theme Power and empowerment

    – the interdependence of democracy and human rights

Mr Thomas HAMMARBERG, Commissioner for Human Rights,
Council of Europe

      Empowerment – the role and responsibility of parliamentarians: the perspective of PACE
      Mr Andreas GROSS, member of the Swiss Parliament, Rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly on the state of democracy in Europe

15.30 Refreshments

16.00 Parallel panel sessions on the theme Empowerment – the role and responsibilities of parliamentarians

Panel session one

      The role of the opposition and changing from being in government to being in opposition

    Moderator: Ms. Elisabeth HEDBORG

    Panellists:

      - Mr Rudolf BINDIG, former member of the German Bundestag, former Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
      - Ms Ene ERGMA, President of the Estonian Parliament
      - Mr Leif LEWIN, University of Uppsala, Sweden
      - Mr David WILSHIRE, member of the House of Commons, United Kingdom, member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (EDG)

      Panel session two
      The responsibilities of the opposition for establishing dialogue and initiating political decision-making

Moderator: Ms. Britt-Marie MATTSSON

    Panellists:

      - Mr Luc VAN DEN BRANDE, Belgium, member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (EPP/CD)
      - Ms Lydia ERR, MP, Luxembourg, member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (SOC) and member of the Venice Commission
      - Mr Tadeusz IWIŃSKI, Poland, member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (SOC)
      - Mr Tomas RIES, Director of the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Stockholm

18.00 End of parallel panel sessions

      Invitation to Sigtuna

Mr Anders JOHANSSON, Mayor, Sigtuna

A 10-minute guided walk to the jetty, by the City Hall

19.00 Departure by boat to Sigtuna
Dinner, hosted by the Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality,

    will be served on board

22.00 Arrival in Sigtuna
A short welcome to Sigtuna and then bus transfer to the hotels

Thursday 14 – DAY TWO

09.30 Four parallel sub-theme panels with break-out sessions
The four sessions will take place at different venues in Sigtuna

      Sub-theme 1 - Representative democracy for a new era
      Venue: Sigtunahöjden

      Arranged by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions
      This sub-theme focuses on the local and regional representative institutions and the dilemmas to combine democracy and efficiency. Using the “World Café” method, only the theme is set in advance –it is the participants themselves who determine the agenda and the outcome.

      Moderators:
      - Ms Lärke JOHNS, Sweden
      - Mr Calle KARNERUD, Sweden,

    Rapporteur: Ms Brith FÄLDT, member of the Congress, Sweden

    Keynote speaker
    Mr Erik AMNÅ, professor, University of Örebro, Sweden

Sub-theme 2 - Empowerment of the individual – non-discrimination

      Venue: Sigtunastiftelsen

      Moderator: Ms Alice BAH KUHNKE, Sweden

      Rapporteur: Ms Laura MORALES, University of Murcia, Spain

      Panellists:

- Ms Ana Isabel LEIVA DIEZ, State Secretary of Territorial Co-operation, Ministry of Public Administrations, Spain
- Mr Marco GIUGNI, University of Geneva, Switzerland
- Mr Anders WESTHOLM, Associate professor, Uppsala University, Sweden

      Break-out session 2.1: Gender equality and shared power - Equal representation and beyond
      arranged by the Swedish Women’s Lobby

      Moderator/Rapporteur:
      Ms Eva FAGER, Chair of the Swedish Women’s Lobby

      Panellists:
      - Ms Victoria POPESCU, Ambassador of Romania to Sweden, former member of the UN Commission on the status of women
      - Ms Diane BUNYAN, Bristol, United Kingdom
      - Ms Drude DAHLERUP, University of Stockholm, Sweden
      - Ms Kirsti KOLTHOFF, President of the European Women’s Lobby
      - Ms Karin NORDMEYER, Director of ZONTA International

      Break-out session 2.2: Democratic inclusiveness – Empowering the individual by abandoning discrimination

      Moderator/Rapporteur:
      Ms Reinhild OTTE, Head of Intercultural Affairs, Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chairperson of the Council of Europe Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights

      Panellists:
      - Mr György FRUNDA, Romania, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (EPP/CD)
      - Ms Tatjana PAPIC, Centre for Human Rights, Belgrade, Serbia
      - Ms Laura MORALES, University of Murcia, Spain

      Break-out session 2.3: Listening to the silent voices

      Moderator/Rapporteur:
      Mr James GOMEZ, International IDEA, Stockholm, Sweden

      Panellists:
      - Mr Giovanni ALLEGRETTI, Centro de Estudos Sociais, University of Coimbra, Portugal
      - Mr Michael RAFAEL, Campaign Manager “All Different – All Equal”, Council of Europe
      - Ms Laura FINNE-ELONEN, President, European Centre of the International Council of Women

      Sub theme 3 - The involvement of civil society – the respect for freedom of expression and freedom of association
      Venue: Hotel Kristina

      Moderator: Mr Jean-Marie HEYDT, Vice-President of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations of the Council of Europe

      Rapporteur: Ms Helene LAHTI EDMARK, University of Lund, Sweden

      Panellists:
      - Ms Nina BELYAEVA, Russian Federation, NGO Coalition “We, the citizens!”
      - Mr Aleksandër BIBERAJ, Albania, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
      - Ms Basak DEMIR, Youth Advisory Council of the Council of Europe
      - Mr Christer HALLERBY, State Secretary, Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality, Sweden

      Break-out session 3.1: How to encourage civil society engagement

      Rapporteur/Chair table 1:
      Ms Helene LAHTI EDMARK

      Chair Table 2:
      Ms Gaja BARTUSEVICIUTE, Vice-President of the European Youth Forum

      Break-out session 3.2: How to bridge gaps between citizens and decision makers

      Rapporteur/Chair table 1:
      Mr Igor KOHUT, Director of the School of Political Studies, Kiev, Ukraine

      Chair Table 2:
      Ms Nina BELYAEVA

      Sub theme 4 - Fostering democracy, human rights and social networks – ways forward
      Venue: Stora Brännbo

      Moderator:
      Mr Ibrahim WANI, Chief, Research and Right to Development Branch, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

      Rapporteur: Mr Hans-Otto SANO, Director, Research Department, Danish Institute for Human Rights

      Panellists:

    - Mr Thomas HAMMARBERG, Commissioner for Human Rights,

Council of Europe
- Ms Maria Luisa SILVA, UNDP, Skopje, “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
- Ms Ann MACINTOSH, Research Co-ordinator DEMONET, Napier University, United Kingdom
- Mr Marcus BRIXSKIÖLD, Director, Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality, Sweden

      Break-out session 4.1: Systematic work for human rights – National action plans, and other methods

      Moderator: Ms Sonja BISERKO, The Helsinki Committee, Belgrade, Serbia

      Rapporteur: Mr Dimitris CHRISTOPOULOS, Associate professor, Department of Political Science and History, Panteion University of Athens, Greece

      Panellists:
      - Mr Jonas ČEKUOLIS, Lithuania, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
      - Mr Thomas HAMMARBERG
      - Ms Louise NYLIN, Human Rights Policy Specialist, UNDP, Bratislava Regional Centre
      - Mr Ibrahim WANI
      - Ms Tanja RASPOPOVIC, Legal Adviser, Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, Montenegro

      Break-out session 4.2: e-Democracy – key role in facilitating and strengthening democratic processes?

      Moderator:
      Mr Thomas BUCHSBAUM, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Austria, Chairman of the Council of Europe’s Ad Hoc Committee on e-democracy (CAHDE)

      Rapporteur: Ms Evika KARAMAGIOLI, GOV2U, Athens, Greece

      Panellists:
      - Mr John GØTZE, Copenhagen, Denmark
      - Ms Miranda BRUGI, IT General Manager, City of Siena, Italy and Chair of the eRights Working Group, Eurocities Knowledge Society Forum
      - Ms Ann MACINTOSH
      - Mr Víctor GARCÍA SEGADOR, Director General of Citizen Participation, Madrid City Council, Spain
      - Mr Christoforos KORAKAS, Project Coordinator, access2democracy, Greece

13.00 – 15.00 Lunch

15.00 – 17.30 Continuation of break-out sessions (see above)

19.45 Departure by bus to Steninge Palace
(www.steningeslott.se)

20.00 Dinner at Steninge Palace

Friday 15 – DAY THREE

From 07.30 Shuttle buses from hotels to Arlanda Airport

09.30 Plenary session at Arlanda Conference and Business Centre;
results from day one parallel panel sessions
and day two sub-theme discussions
Presentation by sub-theme rapporteurs

11.00 Coffee

11.30 Continuation of plenary session

speakers include

      - Mr Jean-Marie HEYDT, Vice-President of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations of the Council of Europe
      - Mr Vidar HELGESEN, Secretary-General of International IDEA

12.00 Summary of results and conclusions
of the Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy 2007

    Observations by the general rapporteurs

      - Mr Andreas GROSS, Member of the Swiss Parliament, Rapporteur of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly on the state of democracy in Europe
      - Mr Keith WHITMORE, President of the Institutional Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Manchester Metropolitan City Council, United Kingdom
      - Mr Daniel TARSCHYS, Chairman of the Political Science Department at the University of Stockholm, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Sweden

      Presentation of the Forum conclusions
      by Daniel TARSCHYS

13.00 Closing of the meeting and invitation to the Forum 2008 in Madrid

    by Ms Ana Isabel LEIVA DIEZ, State Secretary of Territorial Co-operation, Ministry of Public Administrations, Spain