The workshop will review current institutional attempts to support democracy and rule of law in Europe. The discussions will focus on the place and role of civil society in relation to such institutional mechanisms.

The EU faces several limitations in its efforts to support internal democracy in the EU, as compared with its work with accession states and third countries. After pressure from the European Parliament and civil society, and despite lack of support from the Council, the Commission invented for itself, in March 2014, a ‘new Framework for addressing systemic threats to the Rule of Law’, allowing the Commission to act directly, to enter into dialogue with a Member State to search for solutions. The European Parliament adopted in October 2016 a resolution on the Establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, which is highly complex, providing for an annual report/scoreboard, an annual inter-parliamentary debate. While civil society may wish to welcome or support this initiative, it has undeniable weaknesses. For instance it omits entirely any consideration of action at national or local level where citizen dialogues could examine and respond to the EU’s democracy reports before they are debated at EU level.

Facilitator:    Laura Ştefan,  Programme Coordinator at Expert Forum (Romania)

Presentations:

Ulrike Lunacek, Vice-President of the European Parliament (Austria) (video message)

Israel Butler, Advocacy consultant to the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Belgium/UK)

Katarzyna Mortoń, International coordinator at the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (Belgium/Poland)

Vera Mora, Director of Ökotárs Foundation (Hungary)