Strasbourg, 27 September 2010                                                            CDLR(2010)36

                                                                                           Item 4.7 of the agenda

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY

(CDLR)

FORUM FOR THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY

For information

Secretariat Memorandum

prepared by the Directorate General of

Democracy and Political Affairs

Directorate of Democratic Institutions


This document is public. It will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy.

Ce document est public. Il ne sera pas distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire.


Introduction

This document contains the Programme for the 2010 edition of the Forum for the Future of Democracy (Yerevan, 19-20 October 2010). At the CDLR meeting, the Committee will be briefed on the outcome of this event.

Action required

The CDLR is invited to take note of the outcomes of the Forum and to consider how they may contribute to the implementation of the Utrecht Agenda.


Strasbourg, 22 September 2010

FFD-AB (2010) 13

Council of Europe

Forum for the Future of Democracy

Government Guest House

Yerevan, Armenia

19-20 October 2010

Perspectives 2020

Democracy in Europe -

 Principles and Challenges

DRAFT PROGRAMME

prepared by the

Forum Secretariat

The working languages of the Forum are English, French, Armenian and Russian

Background

The Council of Europe’s Forum for the Future of Democracy was established in 2005 by the Warsaw Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government as a multi-partner process aiming to strengthen democracy, political freedoms and citizens’ participation in member states[1].

Basing itself on common principles deriving from the European Convention on Human Rights and other Council of Europe acquis in the field of democracy, the Forum anticipates global and European trends and examines the performance of democratic institutions, processes and practices in Europe as they respond to contemporary challenges in a rapidly changing environment.

By involving governments, parliaments, local and regional authorities and civil society, the Forum provides an inclusive framework within which innovative ideas and thinking on democratic governance are shaped and debated within a broad and cross-cutting approach. The Forum’s outcomes contribute to the formulation of priorities and policies at both national and European levels, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the Council of Europe’s democracy pillar.

The first five annual sessions of the Forum were held in different European capital cities and considered the achievements and challenges of key aspects of democracy in Europe: civil participation, the role of political parties, the interdependence of democracy and Human Rights, e-democracy, and electoral systems.

Building upon these first five years, the Yerevan Forum is expected to provide orientation on how the Council of Europe could support the improvement of good democratic governance in its member states. This would include:

-          an indicative list of strategic tools based on the existing acquis on democratic principles as a basis and structuring element for further work by the Forum over the next few years;

-          a roadmap for the next phase of the Forum process, including proposals for issues, in particular transversal ones, that may be addressed in intermediary thematic events. These would provide input to the next Forum plenary session.

The Forum might, in a perspective beyond 2010, focus on shaping democracy within an evolving context of democratic governance, based on a set of pointers deriving from the common principles on democracy. Such pointers would make it possible to better compare and analyse key challenges facing political actors and societies by sectoral and, increasingly, cross-sectoral approaches, thus facilitating the formulation of innovative solutions at both the national and European levels.


Day 1: Tuesday 19 October

9.00 a.m.                      Registration

10.00 a.m.                     Opening of the Forum for the Future of Democracy 2010

×                                              High ranking representative of Armenia: Welcoming remarks

×                                              Mr Thorbjørn JAGLAND, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

10.30 a.m.                     Chair:                Mr Ian MICALLEF, President a.i. of the Congress of Local

and Regional Authorities

Keynote speech 

×          Mr Adam MICHNIK, Editor in Chief, Gazeta Wyborcza,         Poland

11.00 a.m.                     Introductory panel debate

“The main trends in, and threats to, democratic governance”

Moderator:        Mr Christian MAKARIAN, journalist, France

.                       Ms Kim CAMPBELL, Former Prime Minister of Canada

.                       Mr Thomas HAMMARBERG, Council of Europe                                                 Commissioner

                        for Human Rights

                                    .                       Ambassador Maria LEISSNER, Swedish Ambassador

                        for Democracy                         

×          Lord PRESCOTT, Former Deputy Prime Minister of the

United Kingdom

×          Mr Roland RICH, Executive Head, United Nations

Democracy Fund

12.30 p.m.                    Democracy Fair

inaugurated by Mr Jean-Marie HEYDT, President of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) of the Council of Europe

Buffet lunch and Democracy Fair

2.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.     First set of parallel working sessions (1A, 2A, 3A: details on following                                       pages)

5.30 p.m. – 7.00 p.m.    Democracy Fair

7.30 p.m.                      Welcome reception

hosted by Mr Edward NALBANDIAN, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia


Day 2: Wednesday 20 October

9.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.     Second set of parallel working sessions (1B, 2B, 3B: details on following                                   pages)

1.00 p.m.                      Buffet lunch and Democracy Fair including thematic presentation on ’Applying

the Code of Good Practice on Civil Participation in the Decision-making Process’

at 2.30 p.m.

3.00 p.m.                      Round table discussion of the workshop findings with the three

working session discussants

Moderator:        Mr Davit HARUTYUNYAN, Chair of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary  Assembly of the Council of Europe

General Rapporteur of the Forum

×                                              Discussant for theme 1:

Mr Yuri DHZIBLADZE, founder and president of the Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Russian Federation

×                                              Discussant for theme 2:

Mr Pavol DEMES, Director for Central and Eastern Europe of the German Marshall Fund, Slovak Republic

×                                              Discussant for theme 3:

Ms Helen DARBISHIRE, Executive Director, Access Info Europe, Spain

4.00 p.m.                      Closing session of the Forum

×          Mr Mevlüt ÇAVUŞOĞLU, President of the Parliamentary

Assembly of the Council of Europe

.                       Mr Edward NALBANDIAN, Minister of Foreign Affairs of                        Armenia

5.00 p.m.                      End of the Forum Session


Theme 1: Law and Democracy

Parallel working session 1A

Tuesday 19 October

2.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.

Coffee break mid-afternoon

The impact of European law and case-law on shaping democracy

At the judicial level, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights have set important benchmarks for the working methods and legitimacy of those exercising responsibility in democratic governance and taking political decisions.

At the legal level, the Venice Commission has contributed to ensuring that democratic processes abide by fundamental legal principles by providing impartial advice to states which are drafting or revising constitutions or implementing legislation.

* * *

- What has been the impact of the case law of the Convention system and the Court on fostering democratic governance in national legal systems and how have they contributed to strengthening democracy in member states?

- How have the opinions and studies of the Venice Commission been instrumental in strengthening democratic functioning of member state institutions and to what extent have they influenced established practices?

- What role could the institutions and their jurisprudence play to ensure that democracy and its practices evolve in line with shifting paradigms?


Moderator:          

N.N.

Author of the Issue paper for Workshop 1A:

Ms Başak ÇALI, Lecturer in Human Rights, University College London, United Kingdom

and Ms Anne KOCH, Senior researcher, Hertie School of Governance, Germany

Discussant for theme 1:

Mr Yuri DHZIBLADZE, founder and president of the Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Russian Federation

Speakers:

×          Mr Jan BORGEN, Deputy Secretary General, International     Commission

            of Jurists, Switzerland

×          Mr Krzysztof DRZEWICKI, Adviser to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of

Poland and  Chair of International law, University of Gdansk

×          Mr Jan HELGESENFirst Vice-President of the Venice Commission,       tbc

 

Theme 1: Law and Democracy

Parallel working session 1B

Wednesday 20 October

9.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

Coffee break mid-morning

Should there be a ‘right to democracy’ ?

With a view to strengthening deep security the Council of Europe and other international bodies have produced a wide array of conventions and charters over the past sixty years that impact directly on the mode of governance within its member states. International legal and academic literature suggests that this would amount to a “right to democracy”.

* * *

- Do the acquis of the Council of Europe distill into a right to democracy?

- Would the “democracy pillar” of the Council of Europe be strengthened by enshrining such a right, as is the case for the 1990 Copenhagen Document of the OSCE, the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance?


Moderator:

Ms Lucig DANIELIAN, Dean of the School of Political Science and International Affairs, American University of Armenia

Author of the Issue paper for Workshop 1B:

Mr Peter ASHMAN, Human Rights and Democracy advisor, United Kingdom

Discussant for theme 1:   

Mr Yuri DHZIBLADZE, founder and president of the Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights, Russian Federation

Speakers:

×                      Ms Lydie ERR, member of the Luxembourg delegation to the Venice Commission

×                      Mr Andreas GROSS, member of the Swiss delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

×                      Ambassador Istvan GYARMATI, President and CEO, Centre for Democratic Transition, Hungary

×                      Mr Marcin WALECKI, Chief of Democratic Governance Unit,

Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, OSCE, Poland


Theme 2: Institutions and Democratic Governance

Parallel working session 2A

Tuesday 19 October

2.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.

Coffee break mid-afternoon

Democracy and Representation

Throughout Europe there is widespread public discontent and disappointment with political parties and traditional forms of representation and it may be argued that the traditional democratic institutions no longer adequately meet the needs of the citizens.

This challenge is encouraging both governments and civil society to explore innovative and more inclusive forms of dialogue, responsiveness, and representativity in order to reinforce participation. At the same time, new forms of organisation and communication require thorough analysis to ensure their legitimacy and their capacity to really strengthen democratic governance.

* * *

- Will representative democracy continue to exist in the future? In what form?

- What alternative forms of democratic governance (for example direct or participatory) can be discerned as providing viable alternatives for the future?

-          What role can and should the Council of Europe play to ensure that its core norms and values are respected in these new models?

Moderator:

Mr Nick THORPE, journalist and political analyst, United Kingdom

Author of the Issue paper for Workshop 2A:

Mr Alexander TRECHSEL, Professor of Political Science, European University Institute,

Italy

Discussant for theme 2:

Mr Pavol DEMES, Director for Central and Eastern Europe of the German Marshall Fund, Slovak Republic

Speakers:

×          Mr Chuck HIRT, Central and Eastern European Citizens’ Network,

Council of Europe Conference of INGOs

×          Mr Alexander ISKANDARYAN, Director, Caucasus Institute, Armenia

.           Ms Sonja LICHT, President of the Foreign Policy Council, Director of             the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, Serbia

.           Mr Jiri PEHE, Director, New York University in Prague, Czech             Republic

Mr Halvdan SKARD, Head of the Norwegian delegation and former president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

 

Theme 2: Institutions and Democratic Governance

Parallel working session 2B

Wednesday 20 October

9.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

Coffee break mid-morning

Democracy and Global Governance

The hastened pace of globalisation over the past twenty years and the increased complexities of multi-level governance mean that the roles of states, international institutions and civil society in decision-making processes need to evolve continuously.

Many aspects of citizens’ daily lives are no longer within the remit of national governments or may be well beyond their control. This has serious repercussions on citizens’ trust and on their participation in democratic institutions whose powers are effectively limited.

* * *

- What role should the Council of Europe and other stakeholders play in the ongoing debate on global governance and in creating a climate which encourages people to believe in and adhere to the principles of democratic governance?

- What steps could be taken to ensure greater democratic performance of international institutions and to strengthen global deep security?

Moderator:

Mr Vicken CHETERIAN, journalist and member of CIMERA, Switzerland

Author of the Issue paper for Workshop 2B:

Mr Daniele ARCHIBUGI, Professor, Italian National Research Council and Birkbeck

College, United Kingdom

Discussant for theme 2:   

Mr Pavol DEMES, Director for Central and Eastern Europe of the German Marshall Fund, Slovak Republic

Speakers:

×                      Mr Bob BONWITT, Head of Sigma Programme, joint initiative of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) and the European Union

×                      Ms Sabine DONNER, Senior Project Manager Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany

×                      Mr Anthony DWORKIN, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations, United Kingdom

×                      Ms Keboitse MACHANGANA, Head of Democracy Assessment and Analysis, International IDEA, Sweden

×                      Ms Avri DORIA, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Non

Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG), ICANN, tbc

Theme 3:

Live Democracy

Parallel working session 3A

Tuesday 19 October

2.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.

Coffee break mid-afternoon

Sustainable Communities for a Living Democracy

Environmental degradation and economic crises are posing new, urgent and unpredictable risks to traditional forms of democratic practices. Increasingly, citizens are seeking ways to set the agenda for economic and environmental change and to develop viable democratic practices which prioritise well-being over traditional notions of profit or material success.

As working session 2B examines the needs for strengthening global democratic governance, this session will concentrate on innovative bottom-up initiatives in response to the pressing global and local issues.

* * *

- What innovative forms of local democratic governance are emerging?

- How can the Council of Europe better stimulate the evolution of innovative democratic practices?


Moderator

Mr Andrey RYABOV, Chief editor, Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Federation

Author of the Issue paper for Workshop 3A:

Mr Julian POPOV, Chair of the Bulgarian School of Political Studies

Discussant for theme 3:

Ms Helen DARBISHIRE, Executive Director, Access Info Europe, Spain

Speakers:

                        .           Mr Charles SEAFORD, Head of Centre for Well-being, New

Economics Foundation, United Kingdom

                        .           Mr Paul WIDMER, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to

            the Council of Europe

×                Mr Emin YERITSYAN, Head of the Armenian delegation and

vice-president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

                        .           N.N. a representative of young people

                       

Theme 3:

Live Democracy

Parallel working session 3B

Wednesday 20 October

9.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

Coffee break mid-morning

Democratic Political Culture: Democracy’s Oxygen

Democratic institutions and practices are only viable if they are imbued with a broadly shared democratic political culture. However, such a culture in Europe faces serious challenges from issues as diverse as the growing heterogeneity of European societies, corruption (including in the funding of political parties and electoral campaigns), populism, media manipulation, overplayed vested interests and political disaffection. The risks posed by a weakening democratic culture poses a direct threat to deep security.

Fortunately, there are fine examples and case studies in Europe and around the world of both bottom-up initiatives and top-down strategies to strengthen a democratic culture at all levels. These should be used to re-invigorate or even re-invent how democracy is experienced on a daily basis.

* * *

- Does the Council of Europe do enough to identify the threats as well as the new ways of building up, for example, community responsibility, intercultural dialogue, democratic education and civil participation?

Moderator :

Mr Tony HALPIN, Times newspaper Moscow Bureau Chief, Russian Federation

Author of the Issue paper for Workshop 3B:

Ms Alina MUNGIU-PIPPIDI, Professor of Democracy Studies, Hertie

School of Governance, Germany

Discussant for theme 3:

Ms Helen DARBISHIRE, Executive Director, Access Info Europe, Spain

Speakers:

×          Ms Ligia DECA, Head, Bologna Process Secretariat, Romania

                        .             Mr David KERR, National Foundation for Educational Research,

United Kingdom

.             Mr Yves-Marie DOUBLET, Scientific expert, Council of

Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO)

.             Mr Miklos MARSCHALL, Regional Director for Europe and Central

Asia, Transparency International, Germany

×          Ms Gudrun MOSLER-TÖRNSTRÖM, member of the Austrian           delegation

to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Vice-President

of the State Parliament of Salzburg.

 



[1] At the Warsaw Summit, the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe decided “to establish, within the existing structures of the Organisation as a whole, a Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy to strengthen democracy, political freedoms and citizens’ participation, keeping in mind, inter alia, the conclusions of the Barcelona Conference from 17 to 19 November 2004.  It shall be open to all member states and civil society, represented by policy makers, officials, practitioners or academics. It shall enable the exchange of ideas, information and examples of best practices, as well as discussions on possible future action.  The Forum will act in close co-operation with the Venice Commission and other relevant Council of Europe bodies with a view to enhancing, through its reflection and proposals, the Organisation’s work in the field of democracy.”