The workshop will focus on the crisis of political participation and representation. The discussions will explore the capacity and role of civil society in rebuilding trust in democratic political institutions, in increasing the participation of citizens to democratic political processes and in reforming political parties.

Politicians are at best seen as ineffective careerists, at worst as deeply corrupt and unscrupulous, escaping justice by relying on parliamentary immunity. It becomes difficult to accept that they are a vital constituent part of parliamentary democracy. Yet they are essential and irreplaceable, providing the main channel for recruiting, selecting and training candidates for election to public office,  and the sole means for forming governments and opposition. Political parties are now showing they are highly vulnerable to right-wing populists playing on fears of immigration and espousing nationalist mythology. How far should civil society seek to “save” traditional parties and play a role in helping to reform them, to make them more transparent, more responsive, more trustworthy? Can civil society acknowledge and welcome such change, without slipping into partisanship? And how can civil society relate to new political movements which accept the democratic system?

Facilitator:  Gabriel Badescu, Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy (Romania)

Opening presentations:

Anna Rurka, President of the Conference of INGO of the Council of Europe (France) (video message)

Stijn van Kessel, Lecturer in Politics at Loughborough University (UK/Netherlands)

Miguel Ongil Lopez, Member of the Parliament of the Community of Madrid/Podemos (Spain)

Discussants:

Victor Negrescu, Member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (Romania)

Rainer Adam, Head of the Regional Office for East and Southeast Europe at Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (Bulgaria/Germany)

Cristian Chiscop, Programme Coordinator at Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Romania (Romania)