IDM Democracy Talks – Session II: (Un)Civil Society in Europe

In the course of the Jean Monnet project “From Fictional to Functioning Democracy. Developing Concepts and Strategies for an Inclusive and Participatory Europe (FIFUDEM)“, with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) has launched a new series, the “IDM Democracy Talks“, that is addressing current democratic developments within and outside the European Union.

This episode of Democracy Talks will be taking a closer look on the paradox between protest being able to strengthen democratic values but also weakening them. A common saying tells, that a democracy must be able to withstand such dynamics – but is that really true? How much can a democratic system take, until dissolving effects kick in? Is it possible to think of a situation, when the democratic idea has reached a point of self-destruction? How might the civil society have changed over the past years? In this episode, we will address such questions and debate on today’s role of civil society.

Join our debate with:

Dr. Piotr Kocyba (TU Chemnitz, Institut für Protest – und Bewegungsforschung, focus: protest research, migration, East- and central Europe)

Natallia Satsunkevich (Human Rights Activist, Representative of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”)

Kristina Voko (Journalism, Executive Director of BIRN Albania, focus on human rights and legal frameworks)

Moderation: Florian Voss