Andreas Schroeder’s Post

Europawochen - Europe Weeks 2024 - from 30 April to 31 May all over Germany Awareness of the importance of the EU is an important topic in these troubled times, especially as the European Parliament elections are taking place across the European Union at the beginning of June and in Germany it is the first time that 16 and 17-year-olds can vote. During the Europe Weeks 2024, between April 30 and May 31, associations, schools, universities, research institutes and others will present their diverse activities in which Europe plays a positive role. More details on the official link below that will also keep an updated calendar of the events in Hessen: https://lnkd.in/g5WgEAEh There is a possibility to apply for event funding here: https://lnkd.in/g7pQ-qzG

I have started a new position as Editor in Chief (together with Martyna Czarnowska) of the new magazine "European Voices". You can subscribe to it here: https://lnkd.in/dcvEBAA3  Our mission-statement: European Voices shall be an open arena for political discussions. It aims to be a platform for experts, scholars, writers, political thinkers, and observers who reflect on Europe’s state of affairs and who share visions that might shape Europe’s future. It addresses an audience that wants to be part of these debates. While being aware of transatlantic ties in various aspects, European Voices focuses on the region of Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe: Authors from Estonia to Hungary, from Poland to Romania, from Austria to Albania will draw a wide picture of Europe’s different points of view in politics, economy, and society. European Voices is guided by pro-European and democratic principles. We are committed to the ideas of social market economy, rule of law, and human rights. We believe that an open debate is not only necessary in democratic societies but will make them fairer and stronger.

Source of reference: ❗️Topic❗️24.11.2012. The failures of the "EU tax money budget" negotiations, people are wondering what all the money is needed for. ❗️Only recently did the spending of the EU regional fund come under criticism - a more effective use of EU funds at this level alone could save Germany 30 billion euros by 2020. ❗️The list is remarkable: 360,000 euros are needed to describe the “European identity of a park”; ❗️The website of a general directorate costs 719,000 euros. ❗️Think Tank Open Europe Berlin: The cultural funding from the European Union: An exhibition on the “social relevance of coffee” was funded with 150,000 euros, etc. Text available in German.

📰 Check out ITEM-researcher Martin Unfried's insightful column in the Tageszeitung Berlin! He challenges the typical portrayal of the EU in German media, debunking myths of bureaucracy and democratic deficits. Unfried highlights the proactive role of the European Parliament, showcasing initiatives like cross-border coordination for border commuters and environmental legislation. He also critiques the superficial EU election coverage in Germany and calls for deeper engagement with EU politics. 🇪🇺 Read the full article via https://lnkd.in/eUKr_KrY (German only) #EU #Politics #Democracy #EuropeanParliament #TageszeitungBerlin

🌍 The Global Erosion of Democracy: An Interview on the BTI 2024 Findings 📊   💬 About two months ago, our Senior Expert Hauke Hartmann discussed the #BTI2024 findings and the rise of authoritarianism with Ulrich Timm for Tagesschau24.   Here are 3 key points from the Interview: 🔎 Wave of Autocratization: Over the past four years, there has been a notable shift towards autocratic regimes. Out of 137 countries surveyed, only 63 remain democracies, while 74 are classified as autocracies. 📉 Deterioration of Political Rights: This trend is marked by sharp declines of the quality of elections, association and assembly rights, the freedom of expression, and the separation of powers. 🛡 Reversing the Trend: There is reason for hope. The examples of Brazil and Poland, where voters have rebuffed authoritarian trends, show the potential for reversing democratic erosion. The BTI 2024 findings also highlight the pivotal role of civil society and mobilization in the defense of democracy.   👉 The full interview is available here (in German): https://lnkd.in/eaMhsz3G   Bertelsmann Stiftung #Democracy #Transformation

With best recommendations.

Please read. It should be remarked, however, that right-wing populism uses similar linguistic means. AfD-concoctions like "Remigration" etc. have the origin in ad-speech like Scholz' "Wumms" et al. What seems to be interesting is, that Scholz' always comes along as a little naive and personally rather uninvolved when using these rhetoric means, while the AfD demagogues generally appear like being in fight mode thus creating the impression that they would like to "remigrate" every single person they are talking about with their own hands. https://lnkd.in/dTMyKNc4

Future of democracy Yesterday, we attended a celebratory event in the building of Berlin’s parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin (Berlin State Assembly) We heard three talks about the past, present, and future of democracy in Germany. The discussions spanned 1.5 hours, covering history, challenges from both right and left extremists, and the impact of social media. While remigration was mentioned, there were no words about the lack of equality. There was no word about the current situation, where 25% of the population—non-German citizens—are excluded from democracy. We posed a question during the discussion round, but unfortunately, it was ignored. (https://lnkd.in/g9RbjfH4) Does German society in Berlin have a blind spot? For Wahlheymat, it is evident that Germany/Berlin, is at a critical crossroads. One path leads to a city/country for Germans only. The other path envisions a country with a mixed international society where everyone feels at home. There is no in-between. We believe in the second path, which needs democratic solutions. We must co-create new structures of democracy and co-own them. No one should be excluded based on their passport's country of origin. ‚Zugezogene‘ (migrants, refugees, expats, people from 180 contries) should vote, co-create and co-lead this society. That is the biggest challenge for democracy. Who has a blind spot?

Austrians already have the answer to their democratic challenges - will they use it? As divisions and polarisation increase in anticipation of upcoming Austrian parliamentary elections in autumn 2024, Citizens’ Assemblies could be just what’s needed to defuse tensions. Austria has quietly been leading in this area. The OECD database has documented 46 Citizens Assemblies, Panels, and Councils in Austria since 2003. From local to regional and national examples, Austrians selected by lottery and broadly representative of society have deliberated and provided recommendations to governments on issues of climate, urban planning, transportation, health, culture, and more. And it doesn’t stop with the government. Earlier this year, Austrian heiress Marlene Engelhorn launched an unprecedented initiative to let a randomly selected citizens group decide how she should give away €25m she inherited from her grandmother. Internationally, Austrian state of Vorarlberg is well known for its model of embedding citizen deliberation in a systemic way. 1000 citizens’ signatures trigger a Citizens’ Council on an issue of citizens’ choice, enabling them to start an informed deliberation on a pressing policy issue. It is one of the first places worldwide to practise such a model. All due to the work of Ines Omann, Dr., Joachim Pranzl, Scarlett Voit and many others. Read my latest op-ed in Die Presse (in German): https://lnkd.in/drWxW8QT DemocracyNext IWM - Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen

In the #BerlinPerspectives Series of the Institut für Europäische Politik e.V. I discuss the potential pitfalls of the upcoming new economic governance framework of the #EU. Last crises have shown that social convergence must be part of it if we want to diminish and avoid new imbalances. The German government should support the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2024 and the European Parliament's stance to enable social progress ⚙ 🛠 🇪🇺 "Don’t forget the social dimension! Enabling social convergence in a new European governance framework" ➡ https://lnkd.in/evNaa5aC