“Europe – Critical Problems” is a conference organised jointly by the Villa Decius Association and the Res Publica Nowa as a follow-up on a prestigious series of debates revolving around the Idea of Freedom, organised by the Villa Decius Association since 2005. A special event of the conference is an Awards Gala held to honour the Laureates of the 10th edition of the Polish Prize of Sérgio Vieira de Mello, granted in memory of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2002-2003).
The agenda of the conference includes lectures and debates open to the public, along with a seminar with experts and representatives of the academic circles from the Czech Republic, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and the USA.
The opening speech will be delivered by Marcin Król, philosopher, historian of ideas, columnist, founder and long-standing editor-in-chief of Res Publica Nowa and Chairman of the Board of Bathory Foundation. The special lecture will be presented by Prof. Adam D. Rotfeld, an outstanding scientist, politician and intellectual, former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Expert debates and discussions will be held as part of two sessions:
- Political crisis. Why democratise liberalism?
- Community crisis. Between nationalism and universalism.
The conference participants will attempt to diagnose the ideas behind the crisis affecting European countries. The point of departure for the debates will be the assumption that today’s political crisis, economic problems and social tensions are symptoms of a lack of a fundamental agreement as to the core values which might serve as foundations for common, solidarity-driven and committed Europe.
The panellists – philosophers, sociologists, historians of ideas, political scientists and diplomats – together with conference participants will try to suggest solutions which go beyond the mere technocratic crisis management. In two themed sessions, they will address the basic concepts which have guided the European project. They will juxtapose democracy and liberalism, they will reflect on the modern face of nationalism and universalism and they will survey the tensions rippling through modern European societies. The experts’ voices will enrich the debate held in the streets of Brussels, Madrid and Athens.
If it wants to survive, Europe must be prepared to propose new forms of social life and redefine the foundation of thought, institutional practice and citizens’ activities. Maybe the time has come to reinvent Europe together.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Europe – Critical Problems
PROGRAMME
Thursday, 17 October
9.30 a.m. – 10.00 a.m. Registration
10.00 a.m. – 10.15 a.m. Welcome addresses
Andrzej Zoll, Villa Decius Association
Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Undersecretary of State, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Jacek Krupa, Member of the Board of the Malopolska Region
10.15 a.m. – 11.00 a.m. Opening speech
Europe – Critical Problems
Marcin Król (Poland)
11.00 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. Debate 1:
Political crisis. Why democratise liberalism?
Introductory themes: A democratic state vs. a democratic society. How civic society should be accomplished in a liberal democracy? What does democratisation of a public life mean?
Experts:
Samuel Abraham (Slovakia), Szabolcs Pogonyi (Hungary),
Uwe Serdült (Switzerland), Nina Witoszek-Fitzpatrick (Norway)
Moderator:
Wojciech Przybylski (Poland)
12.30 p.m. – 1.00 p.m. Coffee break
1.00 p.m. – 1.45 p.m. Special lecture
Adam Daniel Rotfeld (Poland)
1.45 p.m. – 3.15 p.m. Debate 2:
Community crisis. Between nationalism and universalism
Introductory themes: In search of the community: nation states or the European project? Does democracy have to be national? Resentments and hope – what makes the people take to the streets of Europe.
Experts:
Dominika Kasprowicz (Poland), Kai-Olaf Lang (Germany)
Milica Pesic (Serbia/UK), László Rájk (Hungary)
Moderator:
C. Cain Elliott (USA/Poland)
3.15 p.m. – 4.15 p.m. Buffet meal
The debates will be held in Polish and English.
Simultaneous interpretation: Aleksander Jakimowicz, Piotr Krasnowolski.
Blog:
Polish language – Joanna Kryńska
English language – Ziemowit Jóźwik
Arabic language – Kareem Amer
CEREMONY OF AWARDING
The POLISH PRIZE of SÉRGIO VIEIRA de MELLO
THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER for HUMAN RIGHTS
(2002–2003)
17 October 2013, 4.30 pm
Welcome:
Andrzej Zoll, former Ombudsman, Member of the Villa Decius Association
Irena Wóycicka, Secretary of State, Chancellery of the President of Poland
Jerzy Miller, Governor of Małopolska Region
Magdalena Sroka, Deputy Mayor of Krakow
Opening:
Anna-Carin Öst, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative to Poland
HE Jorge Geraldo Kadri, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Poland
Announcement from the session of the Panel of Judges of the Polish Prize of Sérgio Vieira de Mello
HE Staffan Herrström, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Poland
Justification of the verdict of the Panel of Judges in the special category Honorary Prize
Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, Undersecretary of State, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Awarding the Statuette of Sérgio Vieira de Mello and the Diploma
Jan Pamuła, President of the Kraków Airport
Speech by the Laureate
Justification of the verdict of the Panel of Judges in a category Person
Irena Wóycicka, Secretary of State, Chancellery of the President of Poland
Awarding the Statuette of Sérgio Vieira de Mello and the Diploma
Jacek Weremczuk, Regional Director of PZU Insurance Company
Speech by the Laureate
Justification of the verdict of the Panel of Judges in a category Nongovernmental Organisation
Krystyna Żurek, Director of Department of United Nations and Human Rights, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Awarding the Statuette of Sérgio Vieira de Mello and the Diploma
Wiesław Nowak, President of the ZUE S.A
Speech by the Laureate’s Representative
The debates will be held in Polish and English.
Simultaneous interpretation: Aleksander Jakimowicz, Piotr Krasnowolski.
Blog:
Polish language – Joanna Kryńska
English language – Ziemowit Jóźwik
Arabic language – Kareem Amer
EXPERT SEMINAR
Friday, 18 October
10.00 a.m. – 1.30 p.m. Reinventing Europe
Introductory themes: European Union – federation or a commonwealth of nations? Foundations of thought for Europe. How should the future of the continent be shaped?
Introductions:
Northern Perspective: Michael Henri Kowalewicz (Poland)
Southern Perspective: Paul T. Levin (Sweden)
Moderator: Krzysztof Bobiński (Poland)
Expert Participants:
Samuel Abraham, Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts, Slovakia
Kareem Amer, blogger, Egypt/Norway
Riccardo Campa, Jagiellonian University, Poland
C. Cain Elliott, philosopher, USA/Poland
András Forgách, playwright, Hungary
Danuta Glondys, Villa Decius Association, Poland
Jarosław Górniak, Jagiellonian University, Poland
Anka Herbut, playwright, Poland
Christian Hussel, poet, Germany
Mario Kaiser, journalist, Germany
Dominika Kasprowicz, Krakow Pedagogical University, Poland
Marcin Król, Stefan Bathory Foundation, Poland
Hans-Peter Kunisch, journalist, Germany
Kai-Olaf Lang, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Germany
Hendrik Lindepuu, translator, Estonia
Myroslaw Marynowicz, Ukrainian Catholic University, Ukraine
Atle Midttun, Norwegian School of Business, Norway
Ivana Myšková, prose author, Czech Republic
Milica Pesic, Media Diversity Institute, Serbia/UK
Jan Piekło, PAUCI, Poland
Szabolcs Pogonyi, Central European University, Hungary
Wojciech Przybylski, Res Publica Nowa, Poland
László Rájk, University of Theatre and Film Arts, Hungary
Ziyad Raoof, Plenipotentiary of Kurdish Regional Government, Iraq/Poland
Adam Daniel Rotfeld, former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Poland
Uwe Serdült, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Elżbieta Święcicka, Stockholm University, Institute for Turkish Studies, Sweden
Nina Witoszek-Fitzpatrick, University of Oslo, Norway
Mostafa Zamaninia, writer, Iran
Andrzej Zoll, former Ombudsman, Villa Decius Association, Poland
Representatives of Panel of Judges of the Polish Prize of Sérgio Vieira de Mello:
Irena Wóycicka, Secretary of State, Chancellery of the President of Poland
HE Jorge Geraldo Kadri, Ambassador of Brazil to Poland
HE Staffan Herrström, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Poland
Krystyna Żurek, Director, Department of United Nations and Human Rights, MFA
Anna-Carin Öst, UNHCR Representative
Ellen Germain, United States Consul General
Łukasz Kamiński, President of the Institute of National Remembrance, będzie?
Irena Lipowicz, Human Rights Defender
Tomasz Sendyka, Smart Practical Logic sp. z o. o.
Jan Pamuła, President of the Krakow Airport
Jacek Weremczuk, Regional Director of PZU Insurance Company
Wiesław Nowak, President of the ZUE S.A.
1.30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Lunch
English will be the working language of the seminar.
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