Draft programme

Monday 4 March  Tuesday 5 March  Wednesday 6 March  Thursday 7 March

MONDAY 4 March

11:00 – 12:30 Securing the ballot: Elections in times of AI and new technological challenges (Room JDE 52)

13:30 – 14:00 Welcome coffee (Foyer 6/JDE 62)

14:00 – 16:00 OPENING (Room JDE 62)

Welcome by Oliver Röpke, EESC President

Keynote speech by Erika Staël von Holstein, Chief Executive of Re-Imagine Europa

Panel discussion: Democracy across Europe: in peril or prosperity? moderated by Shada Islam with:

  • Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency
  • Oliver Röpke, EESC President
  • Brikena Xhomaqi, co-chair of the EESC Liaison Group
  • Gabriella Civico, president of Civil Society Europe
  • Laura Sullivan, former Executive Director of WeMove.EU
  • Janis Fifka, European Youth Parliament

Q&A

16:00 – 16:15 Coffee break (Foyer 6)

16:15 – 17:45

  • Session 1 (Room JDE 52): Civil Society for democracy in Candidate Countries
  • Session 2 (Room JDE 62): Success factors for e-democracy initiatives

TUESDAY 5 March

08:30 – 10:30 Welcome Desk 

09:00 – 10:30 ECI High-level panel: The ECI at a Crossroads - an Opportunity to Take a Step Forward (Room JDE 62)

Moderator: Daniela Vancic, Democracy International 

  • Aurel Laurenţiu Plosceanu, EESC Vice-President in charge of Communication
  • Emily O´Reilly, European Ombudsman 
  • Hendrik Van de Velde, Ambassador, Coordinator for the Belgian EU Presidency 2024
  • Tilly Metz, Member of the European Parliament
  • Pascal Leardini, Deputy Secretary General, Secretariat-General of the European Commission
  • Olga Kikou, organiser of the ECI "End the Cage Age" 
  • Carsten Berg, The ECI Campaign 

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break (Foyer 6)

11:00 – 12:30

  • Session 1 (Room JDE 52): Civic Space, threats to democracy and EU elections
  • Session 2 (Room JDE 62): Expert panel: More deliberation, more impact? Connecting the ECI and European Citizens' Panels

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch (Atrium 6)

14:00 – 15:30

  • Session 3 (Room JDE 51): Empowering Social Inclusion
  • Session 4 (Room JDE 62): Workshop How to... Navigate the ECI Support Infrastructures!

15:30 – 15:45 Coffee Break (Foyer 6)

15:45 – 17:15

  • Session 5 (Room JDE 62): Reinventing prosperity: An intergenerational dialogue for a wellbeing economy 
  • Session 6 (Atrium 5): Workshop How to... Look for Partners 

17:15 – 17:25 ECI Day Conclusions (Atrium 5)

  • Oliver Röpke, EESC President

  • Violeta Jelić, President of the EESC's Ad hoc Group on the European Citizens' Initiative 

17:30 – 18:30 Networking & Screening of ImagineEU video competition (Atrium 6)

WEDNESDAY 6 March

08:30 – 10:30 Welcome Desk 

09:00 – 13:00

  • Your Europe, Your Say! Youth priorities for the next EU legislative term (Room JDE 52/Atrium 5)
  • Journalists’ seminar: Mobilising citizens for the European elections (Room JDE 63)

09:30 – 11:00

  • Session 1 (Room JDE 62): Towards a Digital Transformation that leaves no one behind

11:15 – 12:45

  • Session 2 (Room JDE 62): Democratising economic policymaking – Yes we can!

11:15 – 13:00

  • Session 3 (Room JDE 51): Civil Dialogue for inclusive democracy

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch (Atrium 6)

14:30 – 18:00 Your Europe, Your Say! Youth priorities for the next EU legislative term (Room JDE 52/Atrium 5)

14:30 – 16:00

  • Session 4 (Room JDE 51): National Heat, European Beat  
  • Session 5 (Room JDE 62): EP election toolkit for civil society: How to successfully tackle Disinformation and Citizen washing 

16:15 – 17:45

  • Session 6 (Room JDE 62): A Single Market for public good 
  • Session 7 (Room JDE 51): A Blue Deal through citizenship and stewardship 

18:00 – 19:00 Networking event (Atrium 6)

THURSDAY 7 March

08:30 – 10:30 Welcome Desk 

10:00 – 11:30

  • Session 1 (Atrium 5): Education to tackle polarisation and enhance democracy 
  • Session 2 (Room JDE 62): Smart public policymaking in the EU – Making better choices together

11:45 – 12:30 Award Ceremony: Civil Society Prize – Mental Health (Atrium 6)

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch (Atrium 5)

14:00 – 16:30 Closing session - EESC Consultation Panel for EU Elections (Atrium 6)

Moderator: Shada Islam

  • 14:00 – 15:00 Civil Society Week: Bringing together civil society’s messages
  • 15:00 – 16:40 Dialogue between Civil Society and Institutions for a more democratic Europe
    • Pedro Silva Pereira, Vice-President of the European Parliament
    • Representative of the Belgian EU Presidency (tbc)
    • Colin Scicluna, Head of Cabinet of Dubravka Šuica, European
      Commission Vice President for Demography and Democracy
    • Oliver Röpke, EESC President