The Future of Democracy in Europe and Beyond

The Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service and Southeast European Studies at Oxford invite you to attend an interactive discussion on “The Future of Democracy in Europe and Beyond”

Keynote speaker: Dr. Erhard Busek, Coordinator, Southeast European Cooperative Initiative

Tuesday, July 1, 6:00 p.m., Municipal Council of Thessaloniki

Today, however, democratic progress seems to be in jeopardy, inside Europe and beyond, with increasingly vociferous protests against democratically elected elites, a rise in right wing extremism, and authoritarian responses in Europe’s neighborhood.

Has the momentum of the Arab Spring stalled? Is extremism a threat to Europe’s democracies? Is democracy at risk in Ukraine, in EU-aspirant Turkey, even in EU member-state Hungary? How deeply does the so-called "democratic deficit" of the European Union impact the citizens of Europe? Does the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Greece imply that not even the birthplace of democracy is immune to what appears to be an ominous trend?

A group of academics, practitioners, and diplomats will gather at the behest of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service on July 1, 2014 in Thessaloniki, Greece, to debate these and related questions.

The event is open to the public and will take place in English