PROGRAMME OF THE CONSULTATIVE MEETING      

Wednesday, 7 NOVEMBER 2018

09.15 - 09.30 Opening

Anja Olin Pape, Chair of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ)

09.30 – 09.50 Introductions

09.50 – 10.15 Freedom of association and assembly – essential pillars of democracy in Europe

Matjaž Gruden, Director of Democratic Participation

          Questions from the floor

10.15 – 10.40 Civil society experience of shrinking spaces

Anna Rurka, President of the Council of Europe Conference of INGOs

Questions from the floor

10.40 – 10.55 Overview of the programme and the methodology

10.55 – 11.00 Technical announcements

11.00 – 11.30 Break

11.30 – 13.00 Panel discussion: Observing the “Shrinking space” – Perspectives of Council of Europe institutions, civil society, and academia

Panellists

  • Raphaël Comte, General Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
  • Bojana Urumova, Deputy to the Director of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe
  • Veronika Bilková, Vice-President of the Council of Europe Venice Commission
  • Ewa-Kulik Bielińska, Director, Stefan Batory Foundation (Poland)
  • Richard Youngs, Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, Carnegie Europe

Moderator: Jeremy Moakes, Directorate of Communications, Council of Europe

This panel discussion aims to explore the shrinking space phenomenon by drawing on the perspective of key Council of Europe bodies, such as the Venice Commission and the Commissioner for Human Rights, the experience of civil society as well as the knowledge and analysis of the academic sphere concerned with the issue. How do key institutions tasked with protecting human rights differ in their approaches to the issue? How do international political bodies like the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or the European Parliament aim to engage with the subject? What has been the experience of civil society in countries where the problem is most visible?

Questions from the floor

13.00 – 14.15 Lunch

14.15 – 15.15 “Shrinking youth civic spaces”
                         A study commissioned by the European Youth Forum

               Dr. Tomaž Deželan, University of Ljubljana

Questions from the floor

15.15 – 18.00 Exploring and sharing realities
                         Presentation of the exercise by Ruxandra Pandea

18.00 – 18.30 Summing up our shared realities
                         Presentation of the exchanges

18.30               Close of the meeting

19.00               Reception and dinner

Thursday, 8 NOVEMBER 2018

09.15 – 11.00 Panel discussion: Resisting the “Shrinking Space” – Perspectives from institutions, donors, and civil society

Panellists

  • Maria Giovanna MANIERI, Advisor on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, The Greens European Free Alliance in the European Parliament
  • Päivi Anttila, Senior Sector Officer – Civil Society, EEA-Norway Grants
  • Balázs Dénes, Executive Director, Civil Liberties Union for Europe
  • Dona Kosturanova, Executive Director, Youth Educational Forum (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”)
  • Veronika Móra, Director, Ökotárs Foundation (Hungary)

Moderator: Bálint Molnár, Deputy Executive Director, European Youth Centre Budapest, Council of Europe

This panel discussion aims to explore the responses from institutions, donors, and civil society actors to the shrinking of space for civic activism. Can the shrinking space be resisted? What can donors – both institutional and private – do to provide effective assistance to NGOs and activists who are faced with various forms of pressure? How can and should activists react to various forms of restriction? Are there replicable best practices? Is there a need for a more co-ordinated strategy from donors and civil society to successfully resist the shrinking space?

Questions from the floor

11.00 – 11.30 Break

11.30 – 15.30 Formulating recommendations

13.00 – 14.15 Lunch

15.30 – 16.00 Presentation of the recommendations

16.00 – 16.30 Break

16.30 – 17.10 Where to now?
                        

  • Ivan Hromada, Vice-chair of the European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ)
  • David Neuber, Bureau member of the Advisory Council on Youth (CCJ)
  • Rares Craiut, Bureau member of the Conference of INGOs
  • Ville Majamaa, Board member of the European Youth Forum
  • Antje Rothemund, Head of the Youth Department

17.10 – 17.20 Evaluation of the meeting

17.20 – 17.30 Close of the meeting
                         Antje Rothemund, Head of the Youth Department