A Soul for Europe Conference 2017
Preparatory Material

Find links to relevant contributions from our online debate for each workshop and read Volker Hassemer’s introduction here.

Have a look at Elmar Brok’s article  It is time for European citizens to take ownership of the European Union’ that serves as preparatory material for all workshops or find Collected Key Statements from the Online Debate, that provides a summary of the whole online-debate.

A Soul for Europe Conference 2017: Preparatory Material

Find links to relevant contributions from our online debate for each workshop and read Volker Hassemer’s introduction here.

Have a look at Elmar Brok’s article  It is time for European citizens to take ownership of the European Union’ that serves as preparatory material for all workshops or find Collected Key Statements from the Online Debate, that provides a summary of the whole online-debate.

Topic 2: Europe from the Bottom Up

4:00
– 5:30

 

Studio B

 

Creating Active Citizenship: The Notion of Civil Society and Culture in Belgrade and Amsterdam

Organiser: GRAD & Felix Meritis Foundation
Format: Panel discussion
Active participants: Silke Gebel, MP; Radomir Lazović, activist; Hala Naoum Néhmé, Municipalicy of Amsterdam ; Volker Hassemer, Chairman Stiftung Zukunft Berlin (in English)
Host: Steve Austen, Fellow Felix Meritis Foundation

Where is the citizen? Now that the Treaty of Lisbon (2009) has come into force, the relations between the member states and the European Union are in favour of a transnational definition of citizenship. Let’s start with the citizens position and have a look at the situation in Belgrade and Amsterdam: Do we have to change our lives? Let’s talk about it

Preparatory material:

 

Topic 2: Europe from the Bottom Up

 

4:00 – 5:30 pm | Studio B

Creating Active Citizenship: The Notion of Civil Society and Culture in Belgrade and Amsterdam

Organiser: GRAD & Felix Meritis Foundation
Format: Panel discussion
Active participants: Silke Gebel, MP; Radomir Lazović, activist; Hala Naoum Néhmé, Municipalicy of Amsterdam ; Volker Hassemer, Chairman Stiftung Zukunft Berlin (in English)
Host: Steve Austen, Fellow Felix Meritis Foundation

Where is the citizen? Now that the Treaty of Lisbon (2009) has come into force, the relations between the member states and the European Union are in favour of a transnational definition of citizenship. Let’s start with the citizens position and have a look at the situation in Belgrade and Amsterdam: Do we have to change our lives? Let’s talk about it

Preparatory material:

 

Silke Gebel: Europe — A Responsibility for My Generation

  • To this end, my generation holds a special responsibility: To us, distance has become secondary. We grew up in a Schengen Europe without border controls.
  • If we in the cities, the smallest entity of democracy, raise our voices, we can become the chorus of Europe!
  • We need to stand together for an idea that has brought our generation an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity — the European idea.

Bernhard Schneider: Europeans of all nations unite!

  • The European Urban Agenda is long overdue. Its aims, however, cannot be achieved on this one-way track. It cannot be done unless the cities themselves start acting as European players. In the end, the complementary European Agenda of Cities channeling their citizens’ European aspirations and competences will make the difference.

Dina Čubrić:  When binarism is not enough: reframing center and periphery

  • The question is not what a citizen is, but what a citizen can do!
  • Culture itself becomes an inclusive field in which citizens do not spectate, but participate.
  • Cities, citizens and culture are key pillars of modern democracy.
  • Culture seizes to be property of elites and becomes a public good.

Steve Austen: Cities, Citizens & Culture: the key pillars of European Identity

  • The civil society must take up the challenge to offer modes of identification, sharing and optimism in the direct surrounding oft the citizens.

Silke Gebel: Europe — A Responsibility for My Generation

  • To this end, my generation holds a special responsibility: To us, distance has become secondary. We grew up in a Schengen Europe without border controls.
  • If we in the cities, the smallest entity of democracy, raise our voices, we can become the chorus of Europe!
  • We need to stand together for an idea that has brought our generation an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity — the European idea.

Bernhard Schneider: Europeans of all nations unite!

  • The European Urban Agenda is long overdue. Its aims, however, cannot be achieved on this one-way track. It cannot be done unless the cities themselves start acting as European players. In the end, the complementary European Agenda of Cities channeling their citizens’ European aspirations and competences will make the difference.

Dina Čubrić:  When binarism is not enough: reframing center and periphery

  • The question is not what a citizen is, but what a citizen can do!
  • Culture itself becomes an inclusive field in which citizens do not spectate, but participate.
  • Cities, citizens and culture are key pillars of modern democracy.
  • Culture seizes to be property of elites and becomes a public good.

Steve Austen: Cities, Citizens & Culture: the key pillars of European Identity

  • The civil society must take up the challenge to offer modes of identification, sharing and optimism in the direct surrounding oft the citizens.