Reclaiming Democracy
Belgrade. On December 5, 2007, the first Panel Discussion within the “Reclaiming Democracy” project took place at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade.
The first of a series of events aims at introducing the book publication „Reclaiming Democracy. Civil Society and Electoral Change in Central and Eastern Europe“, at Central and Eastern European universities is supported by the ERSTE Foundation and implemented by WUS Austria.
The Foundation together with the German Marshall Fund of the United States provided the Faculty with 200 free copies of this important publication on civil society movements in the region.
Click here for more infos about the book!
In Belgrade, the ERSTE Foundation was represented by Mr. Robin Gosejohann, who held a short welcome adress. The panel was moderated and hosted by Professor Vukašin Pavlović from the Faculty of Political Science.
Panelists:
- Mr. Pavol Demeš, Director of the German Marshall Fund for Central and Eastern Europe, Bratislava
- Mr. Miljenko Dereta, Executive Director of Civic Initiatives, Belgrade and
- Ms. Jelica Minić from the Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade.
The presented book, “Reclaiming Democracy. Civil Society and Electoral Change in Central and Eastern Europe” is edited by Joerg Forbrig and Pavol Demeš. Students had the opportunity to hear one of the editors, and authors of one chapter of the book. The participants shared their experiences in the past and made connections to present and future. The book describes civil society processes and civic movements in five post communist countries: Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine. It focuses on the important role of civil society and civic movements in reclaiming democracy and bringing about democratic changes in these countries. As all the panelists stressed, civil society should remain strong and should be a continuous driving force in the process of improving societies and strengthening democracies.
The presentations were followed by a discussion and students’ questions, mainly regarding Serbia. The “Reclaiming Democracy” panel discussion was followed by a reception at the Faculty.
