Roundtable: 'The Conference on the Future of Europe – Promises and Challenges' - Embassy of Norway, Brussels, Belgium, 21 January 2020

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2020 will mark the start of the proposed Conference on the Future of Europe, which aims to bring together citizens from all over Europe, civil society and the European institutions in order to reflect on the future of the Union and give new impetus to the European project. This roundtable will discuss the potential of the Conference for strengthening European democracy and citizen engagement, as well as the critical challenges that the initiative faces.

Policy Dialogue: 'Does the EU have what it takes to safeguard the rule of law?' - European Policy Centre, Brussels, Belgium, 22 January 2020

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Summary

As the rule of law will continue to be a top priority on the agenda of the EU in the coming years, the European Policy Centre’s Connecting Europe project and re:constitution, a joint project of Democracy Reporting International and Forum Transregionale Studien, are pleased to invite you to this policy dialogue. Following a keynote speech from European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, our panel of speakers will discuss where the EU stands on this issue, where they see the key challenges and whether the EU has what it takes – both politically and legally – to safeguard the rule of law in Europe.

Seminar: 'Is the rule of law too vague a notion to be monitored and enforced by the EU against backsliding Member States?' - Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, London, UK, 30 January 2020

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The rule of law is considered as a driver of legitimacy in the EU and the Member States. However, its specific meaning and scope continue to be debated by scholars but also increasingly contested by officials from countries where the rule of law is often said to be under threat. The event will address questions such as: Is the rule of law a meaningless or too vague a concept? Can the rule of law be said to be a principle common to the EU Member States? What are the tools that the EU has and can effectively use to monitor and enforce respect of the ROL in the Member States?

Book Launch: Wojciech Sadurski's, "Poland's Constitutional Breakdown" - King's College London, UK, 31 October 2019

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Since 2015, Poland's populist Law and Justice Party (PiS) has been dismantling the major checks and balances of the Polish state and subordinating the courts, the civil service, and the media to the will of the executive. Political rights have been radically restricted, and the Party has captured the entire state apparatus. The speed and depth of these antidemocratic movements took many observers by surprise: until now, Poland was widely regarded as an example of a successful transitional democracy.

Conference: 'Recovering the Promise of 1989' - Forum 2000, Prague, 13-15 October 2019

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Thirty years ago, the world was full of hope that, finally, democracy, freedom, and a global order based on peace and responsibility would prevail. In the tumultuous year 1989, people rallied against governments with a dismal human rights record and a lack of respect for the rule of law. Protests in Beijing, Berlin, or Prague coincided with ongoing or looming democratic transitions in Chile, Nicaragua, South Africa and elsewhere. Citizens globally asked for more freedom and democracy and hoped for a just society. Western democracies served as a model to which many looked up to.

ICON-S Annual Conference: 'Public Law in Times of Change?' - Pontificio Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile, 1-3 July 2019

Online details here

Download Finalised ICON-S Programme here

DEM-DEC’S QUICK GUIDE TO ICON-S

Finding it a challenge deciding what to attend at ICON-S this year? We’ve sifted through the programme - including no less than 213 panels - to find those related to democratic decay and renewal. Scroll down to view or download a PDF version of the Guide below.

Downloadable Guide here

CfP: Workshop on 'European Responses to the Decay of the Rule of Law and Human Rights Protections in Turkey: Exceptional or symptomatic?' - Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, 29-30 August 2019

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Deadline: 29 March 2019

Today we witness the gradual entrenchment of policies and practices in a number of European states that run counter to the foundational tenets upon which the very idea of Europe as a political project rest. The limits and capacities of European intergovernmental institutions to respond to systemic violations of human rights, the decay in the rule of law and the weakening of democracy are being tested. The Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU) appear to be unprepared, ill-equipped or reluctant to produce rapid and effective responses.

CfP: 'Human Rights and the Decay of Democracy' - Law Schools Global League (LSGL), Deadline 20 May

Call for Proposals here

Decay of democracy has been the subject of countless manifestations from academics, journalists, civil society representatives and politicians in recent years. At every scheduled election in any relevant democracy, issues such as the increasing numbers of absent voters, the rise — or the prevalence — of ultra-right political parties and the distrust of representative institutions become central topics for the domestic electoral debate. While the linkage between democracy and the advancement of Human Rights remains largely unquestioned, the effects of deteriorating democracies on Human Rights around the globe have not been fully understood.

Talk: 'Is Democracy Dying?' - Melbourne Multicultural hub, Australia, 22 August 2019

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Reports of the death of democracy may be greatly exaggerated. However, there is mounting evidence that many people are losing trust in our democratic institutions. Today people in countries we regard as non-democratic often have greater confidence in their governments to act in their interest than we do. Observers pin the blame on our out-of-touch governments, corrupt media and politicians, big corporations and a growing gap between rich and poor. Disaffected citizens are meanwhile attracted to new populism because they feel dragged down by economic dissatisfaction, broken promises, decline and injustice.

Media freedom and populism in the context of the rule of law - Central European University, Hungary, 7 March 2019

March 7, 2019, 14.30-18.30

Central European University

Budapest, Nádor utca 9, Popper Room

A global revival of populism can be observed in the recent years. Is the governments' populistic rhetoric in necessary correlation with a backslide in the rule of law? Populism is often coupled with official state propaganda, which entails suppression of media freedom and pluralism. The new media environment offers new tools to manipulate the audience with disinformation, targeted political advertising, and aggressive dissemination techniques. How do these impact the democratic process and the rule of law?

CES Special Event: '25 Years of Studying the Far Right: Reflections on the Fourth Wave' - Harvard University, USA, 9 November 2018

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November 9, 2018

10:00am - 12:00pm

Lower Level Conference Room, Adolphus Busch Hall

Cas Mudde is a celebrated scholar of populism and extremism in European party systems. His work on the topic precedes the recent surge of support far right parties have seen across many Western democracies. In this talk, Mudde will discuss how the study of the far right has evolved over his academic career, and how changes in the field have intersected with changes in real world electoral politics, including the rise of populism.

'Confronting Illiberalism: The Role of the Media, Civil Society and Universities' - Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford, 9 October 2018

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Confronting Illiberalism: The role of the Media, Civil Society and Universities

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kate O'Regan, Helen Mountfield QC and others

Week:MT109 Oct 2018, 9:15AM to 5:30PM

VENUE: BONAVERO INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RIGHTSORGANISED BY:BONAVERO INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Conference to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.