The "Central European Forum" is a conference open to the public bringing together European writers, scholars, journalists and civil society activists. It is supported by a number of organisations including the European Commission ("Europe for Citizens" Programme). The Forum is brought together with the help of many local volunteers, mostly university students. It is thus a true expression of grass root citizen initiative which directly addresses the European citizens and their concerns.

This 2016 edition will be an opportunity to discuss the future of democracy and civil society both in central European region and Europe as a whole, and to explore ways of new political, economic and civic opportunities to breathe new life into democratic values.

An opportunity to discuss the growth of right-wing extremism and European values

The Forum will specifically focus on two burning issues for Europe in general, and for Central Europe in particular:

• the first is the growth of right-wing extremism and the region’s capacity to overcome its threats;
• the second relates to the European fundamental values and how to channel them into civic practices, economic and foreign relations for a shared and democratic European future.

More generally, it will seek answers to the four following questions:

• what constitutes European values which can provide foundation for robust and vibrant democracy?
• how are these values reflected in our daily lives?
• what do they tell us about the future of Europe which becomes increasingly diverse? How can different religions coexist in a secular society?

The speakers at the conference will include outstanding personalities of civic and intellectual life from across Europe such as:

• Ilia Trojanow, internationally acclaimed German author of Bulgarian origin.
• Dubravka Ugrešič, Croatian writer and essayist.
• Navid Kermani, German author of Iranian origin.
• Jacques Rupnik, French political scientist.
• Didier Eribon, French philosopher  and author of  “Retour a Reims” about the French working class transformation to far right electorate.
• Gilles Kepel, French sociologist and expert on fundamentalism and Islamic communities.
• Raphael Glusksmann, filmmaker, author and activist.
• Haris Pasovic, Bosnian director and founder of the Sarajevo East West Center.
• Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Norwegian anthropologist.
• Chris Keulemans, Dutch writer, founder of a number of Dutch and international cultural initiatives.
• Nathalie Nougayrede, French journalist and columnist. 

More information as well as videos from previous years are available on http://www.ceeforum.eu/en/.