July 28 - August 4, 2012 - Prague, Czech Republic
Tentative schedule
28/7/2012 (Saturday) – Institution in charge: Europeum
8.00 - 14.00 Arrival of participants, registration, accommodation
11.00 - 13.00 Brunch (only for co-ordinators)
15.30 Meeting in the lobby
16.00 - 19.00 Sightseeing of Prague, meeting at Prašná brána (Powder Tower)
20.00 - 23.00 Welcome dinner - Vozovna Stromovka
29/7/2012 (Sunday) – Institution in charge: CRPM
Workshop – Nationalism in the Balkans and lessons learnt for Europe
Venue: Roosevelt Dormitory (Strojnická 7, Prague 7)
9.30 - 11.00
Introduction to the topic and clarifying the terminology: what is a nation? What is nationalism? How nations did come about? Multicultural societies and multicultural policies? Nation formation and nation building in the Balkans?
11.15 - 13.00
Contemporary Balkan nationalism: the Macedonian "name issue", the Kosovo problem, and the Bosnian conundrum. How to solve the Balkan conflicts? Geopolitical games and the future of the Balkans- the rising influence of China, Russia and Turkey. What are the lessons for Europe?
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch
14.30 - 16.30 EU and the Balkans
What is the role of EU in the Balkans. EU enlargement and EU conditionality- problematizing or solving the Balkan problems?
18.00 - 20.00 Dinner
20.00 - 22.00 National evening - presentation of the participants’ countries
30/7/2012 (Monday) – Institution in charge: Providus
Workshop - Migration and immigrant integration policy in the EU
Venue: European House (Jungmannova 24, Prague 1)
9.30 - 10.15 Workshop 1: Migration and immigrant integration policy in the EU
The goal of this workshop is to provide an overview of migration and immigrant integration policy in the EU. The workshop will focus on different migration processes and statistics in Europe since 1950s. It will also clarify different migration characteristics - voluntary and forced migration, regular and irregular migration, and touch upon the link between migration policy and the development of third countries where migrants come from. Finally, EU legislative and practical cooperation asof1999 (Amsterdam Treaty) to current discussions (implementation of Stockholm program) will be covered. The workshop will be lead by PROVIDUS European policy researcher Dace Akule.
10.15 - 11.15 Workshop 2: Advantages and disadvantages from migration from the perspectives of national member states, the EU and the third countries
Based on the overview provided in the first workshop, in this session participants will identify and discuss the phenomena of migration from the perspective of different member states, the common EU interests and the third countries (migrants' native countries). The aim is to look at advantages and disadvantages, opportunities and challenges linked to migration and integration of migrants from EU interests and the different national perspectives, as countries with external EU borders face different migration flows than other countries. The workshop will also look at the impact of migration on development of the so-called source countries, i.e. where migrants are coming from to the EU. Participants will work in groups, present their opinions and debate in a plenary session.
11.15 - 12.00 Workshop 3: Integration of Russian-speaking population in the Baltic countries
This workshop will focus on the specific experiences of the three Baltic countries and the integration of Russian-speaking population since 1991 when they regained independence. In Lithuania the proportion of Soviet-era migrantsin 1989 was below 10% of the population, and therefore the country provided automatic citizenship to all inhabitants. But Latvia and Estonia granted the Soviet-era migrantsthe status of non-citizens or aliens, as the number of these people was much higher (approximately 30% of the population). The workshop will cover similarities and differences of citizenship, language, education and participation policies in the three countries, and their outcomes. The workshop will be lead by PROVIDUS researcher Linda Curika.
12.00 - 13.00 Workshop 4: Integration needs of different migrant profiles
Based on the material discussed in the earlier workshops, this session will focus on the different integration needs of specific types of migrants- student, labor migrant, asylum seeker and refugee, a person joining a family member (family reunification), investor. Participants will be divided in groups and try to put themselves in the shoes of the specific migrant, discussing her/ his needs in a specific country. The findings will be presented and discussed in a plenary.
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch
14.30 - 15.30 Guest lecture of Joanna Fomina, Stefan Batory Foundation, Warsaw
Topic: EU visa policy and perspectives of Visa liberalisation with Eastern Partneship Countries
16.00 - 17.30 Discussion with migrants from third countries residing in the Czech Republic
Theaim of this session is to learn about the experiences of migrants living in the Czech Republic. This workshop will provide additional opportunities to understand the complex nature of migration phenomenon - a person's voluntary choice or forced mobility is a result of several factors, and a temporary residence may lead to permanent settlement and family reunification.Migrants in the Czech Republic will also share their opinions about the individual advantages and disadvantages of migration.
18.00 - 20.00 Dinner
20.00 - 22.00 Social programme - projection of the documentary movie "Osadne" – winner of the Karlovy Vary International Film festival (film tackles the topic of solidarity in the EU)
31/7/2012 (Tuesday) – Institution in charge: Europeum
Workshop – The debt crisis, EU and Eurozone response to it and scenarios of their future development
Venue: European House (Jungmannova 24, Prague 1)
9.30 - 10.30
The euro crisis: why did it happen? Is it the fault only of countries that cumulated huge public debts? What is the interlink between budgetary problems and balance of payments problems? Who is to blame and how to deal with collective responsibility?
10.45 - 11.45
The crisis development and the crisis management: from Greece to Spain. The role of rescue funds (EFSF, ESM), six-pack and fiscal compact. Target 2 imbalances and balance of payments: are we missing the point? ECB as involuntary rescuer. Too much austerity: ask Krugman how to clean economy after the housing bubbles?
12.00 - 13.00
Ways out of the mess. Counting "what if" scenarios (Euro-break up, Greek-exit). Conflicting visions: Utility first or Democracy first. Why sometimes economically irrational things happen? Position of the key EU member states.
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch
14.30 - 15.45 The future scenarios of the EU and the Eurozone development: modalities of multi-speed Europe. Buzz groups/presentations
16.00 - 17.30 Guest lecture of H.E. Pierre Lévy, Ambassador of France to the Czech Republic
Topic: The debt crisis and future of eurozone economic governance
20.00 - 22.00 Dinner
22.00 Concert at Jazz Dock - Lukáš Martinek & Private Earthquake (electric blues & grooves)
1/8/2012 (Wednesday) – Institution in charge: Nouvelle Europe
Workshop – The future Enlargement of the EU
Venue: European House (Jungmannova 24, Prague 1)
9.30 - 9.50 Introduction: Current state and future prospects of EU enlargement policy.
This introduction will replace EU enlargement policy into contexts and present the questions that will be scrutinized throughout the day. How have the previous enlargement transformed the EU and what can be expected from future ones? To what extent and in what sense might the current European context affect the prospects for future waves of enlargement? Is the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) a substitute for enlargement?
9.50 - 11.05 Values as a Basis for EU Enlargement Policy?
In discussions of European enlargement, a lengthy literature has drawn attention to the fact that European identity is not widespread among European citizens, and that where it does exist, it usually takes second place to national identification. Yet this focus on identity misses a more important cognitive element in European integration, which is the degree of elite and mass conformity on values. Identity is important insofar as it determines the willingness of a people simply to exist in a political framework jointly with others of differing values - but values determine whether representatives of different political entities are required to cooperate in achieving shared policy goals. In this panel we will examine empirical data on values in Europe and around the world in order to identify what European values are, and which countries from the European neighbourhood and beyond are most in alignment with the beliefs and opinions of Europeans.
11.15 - 12.05 Future enlargement as seen from a candidate country: A conversation with H.E. Nediljko Bilic, Ambassador of Bosnia to the Czech Republic
In this workshop, H.E. Nediljko Bilic, Ambassador of Bosnia to the Czech Republic, will provide introductory remarks on the theme "Bosnia's European future" and then engage in a discussion with the participants. This conversation will be the occasion to grasp the perspective of a candidate country on the enlargement process.
12.15 - 13.45 Discussion with Šimon Pánek, director of People in Need, on the role of NGOs in democracy assistance and human rights promotion
14.00 - 15.30 Lunch
15.30 - 16.45 The Turkish debate
Among the countries having the candidate status, Turkey undeniably stands out as a peculiar case: as the most populated, the most geopolitically significant, the least consensual and - potentially - the least interested. As the matter is source of dissension among and within member states, the workshop will approach the issue as a political debate. First, Kateřina Bocianová who's heading the International Department of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) will provide some insights on how the Turkish issue has appeared in the Czech political debate and on how it has been discussed in particular in her own party. A debate will then be organized among the participants.
17.00 - 22.00 Free programme
2/8/2012 (Thursday) – Institution in charge: CIDOB
Workshop – EU as a global actor
Venue: European House (Jungmannova 24, Prague 1)
This workshop will focus on the EU as a global actor in the context of an emerging world order where power is increasingly shifting towards Asia and the EU’s own relative weight in world affairs is dramatically declining. The workshop will tackle different aspects of the Union’s international engagement (economic, political, security, democracy promotion, institutional).
9.30 – 11.00 Introduction to the topic from a historical perspective.
The first session of the workshop will aim to explain the EU’s evolvement as an international political and economic actor. Special attention will be paid to the Union’s developing Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Union’s role as a negotiator in international conflicts, such as in the context of former Yugoslavia or the Middle East conflict. Another topic to be tackled is the EU’s economic power and the influence of the financial and sovereign debt crisis on the Union’s agency on the global stage.
11.00 – 12.00 Buzz groups: What kind of global actor is the EU?
EU as a strategic partner with China; EU as a mediator in the 2008 Russo-Georgian war; EU as a negotiator with Iran; EU as a democracy promoter in Tunisia; EU a humanitarian actor in Somalia; EU as a multilateral actor in climate change negotiations.
12.00 – 13.00 Presentations of the Case Studies and Conclusions
The workshop should result in a better understanding of the existing trends in the global context, including the emergence of new actors and the relative decline of the “old” actors in the world affairs. Participants will endeavour to consider possible causes and offer possible strategies for the EU to deal with the new global context.
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch
14.30 - 16.00 Guest lecture and discussion with Jaroslav Kurfürst, Director General of EU Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic: Europe as a Global Actor
18.00 - 21.00 Social programme – sports/swimming (Žluté lázně/Podolí)
3/8/2012 (Friday) – Institution in charge: IPA
Workshop - Democracy and governance in the EU
Venue: European House (Jungmannova 24, Prague 1)
9.30 - 13.00 Workshop – Democracy and governance in the EU
Part I: Short presentation about the role of the European Parliament and the role of MEPs in getting the citizens closer to the EU.
Presentation and discussion with participants: opinion polls studies concerning the understanding of the EU-democracy and the latest turn out in the elections to the European Parliament (national parliament) in the countries where the participants come from. The participants in groups will be asked to answer following questions: why is the turn out falling down/not growing/ so low in their countries, what have been done to change it. They will also formulate recommendation what should be done to make the turn out next time higher.
This part will be led by IPA’s President of the Executive Board, Jacek Kucharczyk.
Part II: MEPs communication with the citizens
Presentation: How the MEPs use online tools in their communication and how effective it is.
The participants will be asked to have a short look into the Facebook pages and www of the MEPs/national politicians from their countries and share their first impressions about their communication’s strategy.
This part will be led by IPA’s Head of the European Prgramme, Agnieszka Łada.
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch
14.30 - 16.30 Guest lecture of Lucia Klapáčová, former Head of Cabinet of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovakia, former Head of International Office of Slovak Democratic and Christian Union - Democratic Party, currently PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava
Topic: the changing role of European political parties and political groups in the European Parliament
18.00 - 20.00 Dinner
20.00 - 23.00 Boat Party
4/8/2012 (Saturday) – Institution in charge: Europeum
Venue: Roosevelt Dormitory (Strojnická 7, Prague 7)
9.30 - 13.00 Open space method of development of projects ideas and presentation of open space discussion results
13.00 - 14.30 Lunch
14.30 - 18.00 Evaluation of the Academy, presentation of the discussions outcomes, discussion on follow-up projects of the Academy, distribution of diplomas
18.00 - 22.00 Farewell dinner and clubbing