Dear Friends and Partners of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Welcome to this summer edition of our Newsletter! Perhaps your summer vacation has already started, or it is just
July 2013
www.msoe.fnst.org
Editorial
Dear Friends and Partners of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom,
Welcome to this summer edition of our Newsletter! Perhaps your summer vacation has already started, or it is just around the corner - we hope you find the time to take out a few minutes and read about some of the news from FNF!
The main event for all of the FNF-Teams working on different projects in all parts of the world was the 50th Anniversary of the Foundation's International Work, which we celebrated a few weeks ago in Berlin and Potsdam. Way back in 1963, we established our first project in Tunisia - training activities for journalists. During the past five decades, our work has diversified, reached out to many countries on the entire globe, and connected us with thousands of people, who all share one particular goal - namely to spread and strengthen the values of freedom in politics, society and the economy. Without you, our partners in freedom, we would not have been able to follow our goals and objectives in the way we did, and to develop the Foundation into what it is today - an established global player in the international family of liberals.
This edition of our Newsletter, therefore, not only focuses on the main aspects of our anniversary - it is also an opportunity to thank you for your dedication, your partnership and your efforts in realising our common goal! But have a look yourself and click through the links and galleries. Of course, as usual you will also find information about some aspects of our ongoing work in the entire region.
The Sofia Team of FNF wishes you a relaxing and wonderful summer vacation! Keep up the spirit!
With warm regards,
Dr. René Klaff
Feature Topics
Rolf Berndt: We look at 50 years of successful international work of our Foundation Interview with Rolf Berndt, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors
When one looks back on the Foundation for Freedom's 50 years of international work: How would you summarise it? Has the work paid off - for the Foundation, for Germany, for the cause of freedom?
Our Foundation campaigns worldwide for freedom, human rights, democracy, the rule of law, the market economy and, last but not least, tolerance. In pursuit of these goals during the last 50 years, we were able to partner with more than 800 organizations in over 100 countries, cooperating closely and forming regional networks. Through dialogue, consultation, programme development, organizational procedures and strategies, as well as the training of technical and management personnel, we have introduced liberal values and principles into at least the political discourse, if not into the political systems. We have thereby contributed quite substantially to the democratization and transformation of authoritarian political systems and braced both the federal government's foreign policy and its cooperation with the public regarding development. We therefore look at these 50 years as successful international work of our Foundation. And I am very proud of all our employees who accomplished this success and who often worked under very harsh conditions.
Read more
"Freedom is inspiring" The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Celebrates 50 Years of International Commitment
A constant in an ever-changing world - with these words German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (FDP) described the values FNF is committed to. "Freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and protection of human rights are the basis for the Foundation's work", he said in a speech at the official anniversary ceremony in Berlin on June 25th. Westerwelle, an FNF Alumnus himself, also reminisced about his relationship to the Foundation which began some 30 years ago. Now, as a foreign minister, the liberal politician praises political foundations as "gemstones of international cooperation". "There is no place on earth where people don't long for freedom. Freedom is inspiring", Westerwelle added and once more emphasized the important role of the organisation.
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Interview with Irina Scherbakowa Dr. Scherbakowa works with the NGO Memorial International based in Moscow
Mrs. Scherbakowa, how would you assess your organisation's cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom looking back over the last, almost 20 years of partnership?
The cooperation of Memorial International with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom was marked from the outset by a constant, friendly exchange of ideas. The reason for this was the priority that the Foundation put on developing decentralized reinforcement of civil society in Russia. Important examples of this are the projects that promoted the free exchange of ideas, especially among young people in the Russian regions. Joint German-Russian seminars were carried out together with FNF on the issues of the history of politics and of 'memory culture', which proved to be of great relevance and importance. For ten years, the Foundation has supported the Russian historical school competition, and this gives us the opportunity to invite the winners of several regions to Moscow to discuss with them current historical-political and social issues.
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Picture Gallery: Anniversary Ceremony
Browse through our gallery to see more impressive pictures from the official ceremony and maybe find some familiar faces in the audience.
To see the pictures click here.
Picture Gallery: Looking Back in Time
Here we have put together some visual memories since the beginning of our work in the region.
To see the pictures click here.
Our Anniversary Website
Visit our anniversary website to learn more about the history of FNF's international commitment, watch the official anniversary video, and read what our partners have to say:
50-jahre-auslandsarbeit.freiheit.org
From Our Project Desks
Is the EU-US Free Trade Zone Going to Boost Withering Economies?
This July, negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership were officially launched. The odds of connecting the two world's biggest economies were the subject of an international conference organized by the Association for International Affairs with the support of FNF. Raising public awareness and discussing both the positives as well as potential costs of the transatlantic free trade area were the goals of the high-level event, held in Prague on June 25th, 2013.
Read more
Strengthening Participation of Ethnic Minorities in Georgia
In light of the various intractable conflicts that are already hampering the South Caucasus' development and stability, policies towards ethnic minorities within these states take up a key dimension in national politics - in theory. In practice, this is not necessarily the case.
To address this situation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation's South Caucasus office held a series of seminars as well as a conference titled 'Integration, Diversity and Pluralism in the South Caucasus - Participation of Ethnic Minorities in Georgia' in May and June 2013. These events aimed to empower young activists from the Azerbaijani minority in the regions of Kvemo Kartli and Kakheti as well as young ethnic Armenian activists from Samtskhe-Javakheti.
Read more
Cutting the Gordian Knot: Extracting Europe from the Crisis Guy Verhofstadt Discusses Possibilities for EU Reform
'Cutting the Gordian Knot: Extracting Europe from the Crisis' - this was the main topic of a two-day event in Warsaw, held in June 2013. The discussion dealt with challenging questions that are relevant for Europe today: is the financial crisis in Europe a result of its extensive social programmes or a consequence of poor financial and fiscal policies? Does Europe need a more liberal state or should we stick to the traditional welfare state with extensive policies of social solidarity? And what are the ways out of the crisis?
Read more
Dr. Irmgard Schwaetzer Participates in a Dialogue on Gender Policies in Kiev
The Ninth Kiev Dialogue on 'Gender Policies: Successes-Failures-Prospects' took place in Kiev on March 5th-6th, jointly supported by the OSCE, which Ukraine currently chairs, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the International Renaissance Foundation, the German Foreign Office, the German Society for East European Studies, Deutsche Welle and others. Politicians, experts, NGO representatives and interested citizens from Europe and Ukraine came together to discuss gender equality.
Dr. Irmgard Schwaetzer participated in the opening panel along with three Ukrainian members of parliament elected in October 2012 - Iryna Herashchenko of the United Democratic Alliance for Reforms (UDAR), Olena Kondratyuk of Batkiwschtschyna ("Fatherland") and Iryna Berezhna of the Party of Regions - as well as Ajla van Heel, Gender Officer at the OSCE ODIH. Dr. Schwaetzer gave an overview on the German experience with women's political participation and their access to political decision-making, and explained the different German political parties' standpoints on gender quotas for parliamentary candidates.
Read more news from the Ukraine and Belarus region:
Read more
Intensifying Euroscepticism in East Central Europe A Study by the Republikon Institute
In 2013, the Hungarian Republikon Institute carried out a project, funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, called 'Intensifying Euroscepticism in East Central Europe'. The main motivation of the project was the recognition that whereas in some areas a market-oriented, almost "liberal" euro-scepticism has been born, in some other countries, most notably in Hungary, euro-scepticism is a nationalist tool of the right-wing government used to antagonise Hungarians, to turn them more inward and to reach out to far-right, radical voters. This study attempted to measure the different types of euro-scepticism and formulate a strategy for dealing with them - analytically as well as in the public debate.
Read more here
Summer Leadership Seminar organised by the Bulgarian Libertarian Society
Last month, the newly founded Bulgarian Libertarian Society (BLS), with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and LIPA, held its first Summer Leadership Seminar. The event targeted students and young people, interested in the ideas of classical liberalism and libertarianism.
Was the seminar a succes? - 'Beyond all my expectations!', says participant Michael Tontchev from Baltimor, USA. Read his impressions from the seminar.
Read more
Minister of State Cornelia Pieper in Moscow
After a short meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the innovation Centre Skolkovo in the Moscow region, Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State in the German Foreign Ministry, opened, together with Prof. Dr. Peter Gruss, President of the Max-Planck-Society, on Wednesday April 10th, 2013 the "Science Tunnel" - a multimedia exhibition by the Max Planck Society in Moscow's Artplay Design Centre as part of the 'Germany year' in Moscow.
Ms Pieper afterwards took the time for an in-depth discussion of current developments in Russia and about Germany's Russia Policy with Julius von Freytag-Loringhoven, FNF project director Russia and Central Asia.
Read more news from Russia:
Read more
Explaining Liberal Approaches to City Development in Russia
Member of the Bundestag Petra Müller attended this year's German-Russian XII City Partnership Conference in Ulyanovsk, supported by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, from June 8-10, 2013. A successful architect, Petra Müller is also the FDP Bundestag group's spokesperson for city development, which was why she was also speaking at a workshop organized by the FNF and the cultural ministry of Ulyanovsk on how to keep talented people in the city.
After FNF project director Julius von Freytag-Loringhoven had finished moderating the conference's concluding panel, Petra Müller drove with him to Samara to meet with Irina Scupova, the regional ombudsmen for human rights and to attend the future workshop of the St. Petersburg dialogue - the German-Russian civil society dialogue platform. On June 11, Petra Müller then gave a presentation on liberal city development approaches in Café Zaftra in Moscow, organized by the FNF together with the online discussion platform polit.ru.
Read the whole article in Russian here.
Upcoming Events
August 3-10
Summer School of Economics
Bratislava, Slovakia
September 1-9
Summer Academy "Freedom and Participation"
Ureki, Georgia
September 12-13
More Liberal Voices Conference
Vilnius, Lithuania
September 2013
The Future of Money Conference
Bratislava, Slovakia
September 2013
Media Pluralism in Hungary: European Citizens' Initiative
Budapest, Hungary
September 25-27
The Future of Europe - European Forum of New Ideas
Sopot, Poland
September 30
Presentation of the Publication "Pluralism, Integration and Diversity in the South Caucasus: Participation of Ethnic Minorities in Georgia"
Tbilisi, Georgia
October 6-9
Triple-C Conference
Tbilisi, Georgia
October 10
Pension Reforms in CEE Conference
Prague, Czech Republic
October 10-11
4Liberty.eu Think-Thank Meeting Nr. 7
Prague, Czech Republic
Regional Political Calendar
September 8, 2013
Local Elections, Moscow Mayoral Elections
Russia
October 16, 2013
Presidential Elections
Azerbaijan
October 20, 2013
Local Elections
Estonia
October 27, 2013
Presidential Elections
Georgia
November 2013
Presidential Elections
Tajikistan
November 29-30, 2013
EU-UA Eastern Partnership Summit
Vilnius, Lithuania
Glimpses of our Work
FNF International Staff Conference and Seminar
To see our picture story click here.
The Different Prime Minister - Conversations with Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha New Book by Long-standing FNF Project Coordinator Asparouh Panov Launched in Sofia
Many liberal politicians, public figures and journalists as well as the FNF team and friends of the author attended the launch of Asparouh Panov's book "The Different Prime Minister" - a collection of conversations with Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on different topics. The book is bilingual - in Bulgarian and English.
Read more
Picture Gallery: Regional Conference in Lviv
Our last Regional Conference took place in April, in the beautiful city of Lviv, Ukraine. It was a busy time, but also nice to have the CESE team sitting together again.
Take a look at the pictures.
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Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Regional Office Central, East and Southeast Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia 51B, Bulgaria Blvd., Motopista II, Sofia 1404, Bulgaria
