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Europe. Its Values, Its Citizens. Berlin "A Soul for Europe" Nov 2015

The BERLIN CONFERENCE “A SOUL FOR EUROPE” 2015 about "Europe. Its Values, its Citizens" took place 8 and 9 November 2015 at the Allianz Forum, Pariser Platz 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany. *

                   

 

The two day conference stood under the motto:

"Cities for Europe. Cities take a stand - challenges with regards to the influx of refugees."

Sunday 8th of November 2015

13.00  Opening

Keynotes:

Brigitte Russ-Scherer, former Lord Mayor and spokesperson of the “Cities for Europe” initiative,

She expresses her concern about a growing anti-Europe sentiment, but does not mention the reasons why people no longer just criticize, but reject the entire European Union altogether.

Hella Dunger-Löper, State secretary and commissioner for European affairs and for active citizenship at the Berlin Senate Chancellery:

Die Flüchtlingsfrage stellt sich als zweifache Integrationsaufgabe: das Ankommen, einschließlich die Registrierung und Erlangen eines legalen Status, und die sozial-kulturelle Integration. Dazu gäbe es eine Webseite mit entsprechender Information.

Politisch stellt sich die Frage, wie gleichzeitig die Vorwürfe der Bevölkerung entkräftigen, und den Umgang mit den Flüchtlingen besser koordinieren?

Sie käme soeben von einem Treffen von Euro Cities wo klar wurde, dass diese neue Situation verlangt eine neue EU Politik, also eine gerechtere Verteilung der Flüchtlinge.

Der anwachsende Rechtsextremismus stellt eine neue Herausforderung dar.

Dazu gibt es eine Stellungsnahme vom Komitee der Regionen.

The refugee issue poses itself as a double integration task: after registration and clarification of the legal status, it becomes a socio-cultural matter how refugees are integrated. Berlin has created for this purpose a website to provide information.

Politically speaking, it is a matter of how to respond to criticism by the population, and how to coordinate better how refugees are being dealt with.

She has just returned from a meeting of Euro Cities where it became clear that the new situation created by the refugees demands a new EU policy, to ensure a just distribution of refugees.

The growing Right Wing Extremism poses a new challenge.

The Committee of Regions has issued a declaration about this situation.

 

Karl Schlögel, historian, European University, Frankfurt, about "Cities are our hope"

Wenn man bedenkt welche Grenzen es damals, also noch vor 1989, gab, und das mit heute vergleicht, dann ist Berlin ein guter Ort zum Nachdenken über Europa als 'Grenzland'. Das Erstaunliche an 1989 ist immer noch ie gewaltfreie Übernahme der Städte, und das bezieht sich nicht nur auf die Umbenennung der Straßen. Blickt man auf die Geschichte zurück, und sieht wie Städte entstanden, aber auch ausgebombt worden sind, dann ist man erstaunt, was Städte auszuhalten vermögen! Die heutige Umwandlung der Städte hat aus Bürgern Patrioten der Polis gemacht.

Europa als 'Grenzland' entstand Dank von Schengen, doch jetzt kommen die Flüchtlinge nicht aus dem Osten, sondern aus dem Süden. Was ist festzustellen:

- aus offenen Grenzen wird Angst

- die Gewalt ist auf diesen Kontinent zurück gekehrt

- viele glauben Europa sei überrumpelt, darum auch bereits verloren

Folglich geht ein Gespenst um, und zwar die der Panik. Viele Bürger fühlen sich nicht mehr sicher, so als seien sie vom Staat in Stich gelassen, und das trotz all den Geheimdiensten und "think tanks" die den Staat schützen und beraten sollen.

Die beste Politik ist immer noch die Dinge beim Namen zu nennen. Hier hat der Philosoph Ernst Bloch dazu einen wichtigen Rat erteilt, und zwar um die Realität wahrzunehmen, dafür solle man sich die eigene Ratlosigkeit eingestehen.

Es sei auch an Hölderlin zu erinnern, der sagte da wo Gefahr ist, wächst auch das Rettende.

Das Abschaffen der Grenzen innerhalb von Europa ist der Endpunkt einer langen Geschichte des Zivilisationsprozesses. Die Geschichte Europas kann sich jetzt innerhalb eines gemeinsamen, homogenen Raumes entfalten.

Sodann soll es ja, Grenzen geben, wenn es etwas zu verteidigen gibt. Doch allzu oft wird das Bild von Europa als 'Festung' evoziert, doch was ist das, wenn nicht eine Formel zwecks Denunziation. Eben weil Europa ist jetzt stark umkämpft, hat das die Städte in Schlachtfelder verwandelt. Es gibt den Inbegriff von 'urban warfare', aber auch die verlassenen Infrastrukturen.

Wie verwundbar Städte im Grunde genommen es sind, das wurde klar in New York 911, Madrid 2004, London 2005, und Paris 2015 (Charlie Hebdo).

Die Stadt besteht aus öffentliche Räume. Wenn die aufgegeben werden, dann herrscht nur das Schrecken. Und vieles wird in Schutt und Asche verwandelt.

Mit den Flüchtlingen entstehen neue Städte bestehend aus Containern und Zelten. Es ist die Folge einer Geopolitik die viele Menschen in die Flucht jagt. Sie stimmen ab wie einst ehemalige DDR Bürger mit den Füssen, um in den Westen zu gelangen als die Mauer noch stand. Es macht deutlich, dass die Karte Europas neu gezeichnet werden muss. Es entstehen nämlich neue Orte von Bedeutung u.a. Münchner Hauptbahnhof oder der Eingang zum Tunnel in Calais.

Kurz zusammen gefasst, Europäische Städte sind nicht obsolet, aber statt Athen kann es durchaus heissen "learning from Munich!"

 If one considers the borders which existed then, that is before 1989, and when one compares it with the state of affairs today, then Berlin is a good place to reflect about 'Europe as borderland'. The surprising element of 1989 was the non violent way in which cities were seized, and that applies not only to how streets were renamed. If one looks back over history, and if one sees how cities were created, but also bombed out, then one is astonished what cities can withstand. Today's transformation of cities has made out of ciitzens patriots of the Polis.

Europe as 'borderland' came about thanks to Schengen, but now refugees come no longer from the East, but from the South. What is to be observed:

- open borders have produced fear

- violence has returned to this continent

- many believe Europe has been overrun, hence is lost

Hence a ghost is hauting Europe, that of panic. Many citizens feel no longer secure, as if they have been abandoned by the state, and that despite of all the security forces and "think tanks" which ought to protect and to advise the state.

The best politics is still to name things by the proper name. Here the philosopher Ernst Bloch offered for that an important advise, namely it is wise to admit one's own loss of orientation or helplessness.

One can recall a saying by Hölderlin, insofar where is danger, there grows as well the rescue.

The removal of borders within Europe was the final point of a long history also to be called the process of civilization. The history of Europe can unfold itself now within this common, homogeneous space.

Yes, borders should exit when there is something worthy to be defended. But all too often the image of Europe as a 'fortress' is evoziert, but what is this, if not a cheap way to denounce the continent. Just because Europe is now hotly desired, cities have been turned into battle fields. There exists the concept of 'urban warfare', but there are as well all those abandoned infrastructures.

How vulnerable are basically cities, that became evident in New York 911, Madrid 2004, London 2005, and Paris 2015 (meant is Charlie Hebdo).

The city exists because of its public spaces. Once they have been abandoned, then rules only horror. And much shall be transformed into ruins and ashes.

With the refugees new cities are created. They consist of containers or are made out of tents. It is the result of geopolitics which forces many people to flee. They vote with their feet like the former East German citizens who tried to reach the West on foot as long as the wall stood. It makes evident that the map of Europe has to be redrawn anew. For new places of meaning are being created such as the main train station in Munich or the entrance to the tunnel in Calais.

Briefly said, European cities are not obsolete, but instead of Athens the main slogan can be really "learning from Munich."

 

Examples of Good Practice: project presentations

 
3.00 pm parallel moderated discussions

- (the two other workshops could not be attended, since they took place at the same time, but the third one)

- European Capitals of Culture

                   

In the discussion following points were made:

 

4.30 pm Presentation of World Café results to the plenum
5.00 pm Conclusions
5.00 pm

Moderated debate

Moderator: Eckart Stratenschulte, director of the European Academy
Berlin (tbc)

5.45 pm Closing remarks Brigitte Russ-Scherer, former Lord Mayor and spokesperson of the “Cities for Europe” initiative

6.00 pm End of pre-conference

Some people attending

Bart Verschaffel, Philosopher, Prof. at University of Gent

                           

                            Bart Verschaffel and Cornelia Dümke


7.00 pm

Welcome at the Embassy of Luxembourg

Klingelhöferstraße 7, 10785 Berlin

The pre-conference ended with a reception at the Embassy of Luxembourg. The country holds right now the EU Presideny. Ambassador Georges Santer received the participants with a well thought through speech. He reflected in a very pronounced way the fact that whenever Luxembourg held the Presidency, the European Union had to face huge challenges. This year it was EU member states accepting a system by which refugees would be evenly redistributed throughout the European Union. 

    

    Ambassador Georges Sanders, Cornelia Dümke, Hatto Fischer

      

 

 

Monday 9th of November 2015

- in memory of 9th of November 1989 when the wall came down in Berlin

Welcoming address: Birgit Grundmann, former state secretary, head of regulatory and political affairs, Allianz Deutschland AG

Keynote: Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament and chair of the
“A Soul for Europe” Advisory Board

Eine Rede am 9 November zu halten hat eine besondere Bedeutung, besonders hier, unmittelbar in der Nähe zum Brandenburger Tor.

Er hat nie an die deutsche Einheit geglaubt; heute dagegen ist es nicht nur ein deutscher, sondern ein Europäischer Tag.

Wer dem widerspricht, das ist Verrat. Heute gibt es die globale Herausforderung an die Europäische Idee.

Europa besteht aus einer friedlichen Koexistenz, und die ist stärker, nicht die Opposition zum vereinigten Europa.

Im Parlament gibt es die Politikerin Le Pen. Er hört sich immer sehr genau ihre Reden an. Sie hat immer nur zwei Botschaften: gegen Europa und zurück zum Nationalen. Ihn wundert es wie sie sich verhält denn kaum hat sie ihre Rede gehalten, bleibt sie nicht um sich die Reden der anderen anzuhören, sondern sie verlässt den Saal. Später stellt sich heraus, sie habe doch abgestimmt obwohl sie gar nicht anwesend war. Jemand muss für sie unterschrieben haben. Das ist ihr Selbstverständnis von Demokratie.

Die Wiedervereinigung von Deutschland leitete ein den Prozess der Integration der ehemaligen sozialistischen Länder in 2004, aber leider wurde der EU Verfassungsvertrag nicht ratifiziert in 2005.

Seitdem gab es keine weitere Klärung wie wir das geeinte Europe gestalten wollen.

Europa steht vor einer neuen Herausforderung, die der multi-polaren Welt. Banki Moon, General Sekretär der UNO, sagt 60 Millionen Menschen in dieser Welt befinden sich auf der Flucht. Es wird auf uns alle eine neue Umordnung zukommen.

Europäer haben eine interkontinelle Dimension zwecks dem Gestalten der politischen Verhältnisse realisiert. Das heisst, da wo der einzelne Staat nicht ausreichend sich schützen kann, da beginnt die Aufgabe der EU.

Zum Beispiel, TIPP verlangt ein Wissen wie gemeinsame Standards zu erzielen ist. Das ist nicht möglich durch bilaterale Abkommen.

Als Präsident des Europäischen Parlaments werde er gleich nach dieser Rede den Saal verlassen müssen. Man möge ihm das verzeihen, aber draußen werden Vertreter einer Unterschriftensammlung zum TIPP auf ihn warten, und er will das entgegen nehmen.

Ganz wichtig sind die Europäischen Werte als gemeinsame Grundlage.

Dabei erleben wir eine Rückkehr ins Nationale. Das ist eine Verhandlungsschwäche gegenüber der USA.

Es gilt außerdem, und das hat die Griechenland Krise gezeigt, nicht die Schwächsten sollten zum Sündenbock gemacht werden.

Darum ist es wichtig Europa eine Seele zu geben.

Wir haben in einer Zeit des KAMPFES ein Phänomen der Entsolidarisierung zu überwinden.

Die Europäischen Werte sind Repekt, Toleranz und Solidarität.

 

To give a speech on 9th of November has a special meaning especially when directly in the vicinity of the Brandenburg Gate.

He had not believed German unificiation would be possible; today it is not only a German, but a European day.

Those who dispute that, betray the European idea which is facing a global challenge.

Europe results out of a peaceful co-existence, and which is stronger than the opposition to an unified Europe.

 

In the European parliament there sits as well the politician Le Pen. He listens always carefully when he speaks. She has always the same two messages: against Europe and back to Nationalism. He is amazed by her behaviour for hardly has she spoken, she disappears. Later on, after the vote was taken, she appears on the list as if she had bee present and voted. Someone must have signed for her. That is her self understanding of democracy.

 

German reunification initiated the process of integration of former Socialist countries in 2004. However, the EU Constitutional Treaty was not ratified in 2005.

Since then no further clarification has happened on how we want to shape an united Europe.

Europe faces a new challenge of the multi-polar worl. Banki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, stated 60 million people in this world are refugees. They are fleeing. It will come to a new transformation of social order.

Europeans have realised an intercontinental dimension when they gave shape to the political relationships. That means, there where the state cannot protect itself adequately, there begins the tasks of the EU:

For example, TIPP requires a know-how on how common standards can be realised. That is not possible through bilateral agreements.

As president of the European Parliament he will have to depart right away after having given his speech. He asks for forgiveness but outside await him a group which wants to hand him a collection of signatures as to the TIPP agreement, and he wants to receive this collection of signatures.

Extremely important is to have European value as common ground.

Unfortunately we experience a return to the National. That is a weakness in Europe's negotiation vis a vis the United States.

It is also important, and this had shown the crisis in Greece, the weakest should not be made into a scape ghoat.

For this reason it is important to give Europe a soul.

We have in a time of a fight to overcome the phenomen of loss of solidarity.

The European values are respect, tolerance and solidarity.

 

The speech by Schulz was followed by following speakers:

State Secretary Hella Dunger-Löper, commissioner for European affairs and for active citizenship at the Berlin Senate Chancellery
Doris Pack, MEP 1989-2014 and co-chair of the “A Soul for Europe” Advisory Board
Gianni Skaragas, writer

The periphery as an inspiration for Europe

Introductions:
Hannes Swoboda, president of the International Institute for Peace and member of the “A Soul for Europe” Advisory Board
Georgi Gospodinov, writer

Panel A: The periphery of Europe is not only a geographic category with strong sociocultural characteristics. It serves as a laboratory for all kinds of creative civil society movements: Despite all prejudices, countries like Albania or Bosnia today show how religious and ethnic coexistence can work. Citizens in the Baltic countries strongly confess to their integration into European alliances by
initiating creative projects. And while peripheral countries face severe economic and structural problems, civil society organizations, artists and intellectuals tackle the crisis by implementing experimental ideas and initiatives.

Moderated debate with Q&A session

 

                  

                   Rarita Zbranca

Moderator: Kaspars Ruklis, executive director of the Riga summer School and member of the” A Soul for Europe” Strategy Group

11.00 am Coffee-break

Panel B

Despite economic and structural difficulties the periphery is one of Europe's richest assets, a source for creativity for the integration process. However cultural activities in the peripheral countries often do not meet with appreciation and respect. They are rarely perceived in the public spheres of the “center” and are lacking partners for dialogue and exchange. We have to open up and create new
opportunities, work against disappointment and revive decreased EU enthusiasm, so the periphery can serve as a laboratory for a creative civil society in Europe. The panel outlines challenges and develops ideas as well as proposals for this necessary process that should be increasingly in the responsibility of the citizens.

Moderated debate with Q&A session

Moderator: Kaspars Ruklis, executive director of the Riga summer School and member of the” A Soul for Europe” Strategy Group

1.00 pm Lunch break

2.00 pm

                

Welcoming address by Michael Roth, minister of state at the Federal Foreign Office

In his speech he talked more like a preacher talking from the pulpit than a politician who would address the problems in terms of options for policy measures in need to be taken. Throughout the conference two types of rhetorics could be observed. The old timers used the crisis as made explicit by the refugee question to revive worn out concept, while those wishing to press ahead articulated themselves in "should be sentences", or in German "Soll"-types of sentences. Hence the need to work together was repeatedly stressed, but no reason given why working together has proven to be so difficult within the given framework of the European Union.

 

The City as a Spot of Innovation, inclusion and of new models for citizens involvement

Keynote: Peter Vermeersch, professor of politics at the University of Leuven
His presentation was very interesting as it revolved around the key concept of "deliberation democracy". Based on the Irish model of getting citizens involved by having 66 of them discuss matters with 33 politicians, he wishes to develop his ideas basically around four basic principles:

  1. look at what we are already doing to help improve the working of democracy
  2. core of democracy - related to the philosophy of John Dewey
  3. recognize that it is not easy to encourage the right type of citizen, but must give a voice to citizens and this best done through a deliberative vote
  4. recognize that cultural activists play a crucial role in cities


Panel A

Sharing a direct responsibility for Europe: cultural performance, social creativity and innovation in cities and urban areas. By established cultural institutions and grass roots initiatives: Based on their European heritage, their social entrepreneurship, pragmatic approach and their creative power, urban areas have an outstanding role for the European process beyond the local and regional competences.

Moderated debate with Q&A session

Moderator: Farid Tabarki, founding director of Studio Zeitgeist and member of the “A Soul for Europe” Strategy Group

 

               

               Amalia Zepou

3.20 pm Coffee-break

Panel B: How to strengthen cultural and civil society networks of European cities and regions to take over responsibilities locally and from the bottom-up? How to validate the expanding practise of cultural routes and the validation of cultural tourism to the cities? In other words: How to include all these phenomena into a coherent democratic policy, effective and attractive for the citizens of Europe?

Moderated debate with Q&A session:


Moderator: Farid Tabarki, founding director of Studio Zeitgeist and member of the “A Soul for Europe” Strategy Group


Conclusions and Outlook:

 

Moderator: Nele Hertling, member of the “A Soul for Europe” Strategy
Group

5:30 pm Reception at the venue

7.00 pm

  Waiting for Donald Tusk

                                      

Tusk arrives, people stand up

 

The State of Europe - Speech by President of the EU Council, Donald Tusk
Tusk Europa Rede / Speech about Europe

This speech needs some careful analysis and consideration. Already in advance the crucial question was, whether or not he would say something explicit about open borders. As of late some EU member states have questioned what pertains to a Europe under the Schengen and Dublin agreement. The latter has been put out of function by the German government, i.e. refugees would not be sent back to the EU country which they entered first, but would be 'welcome' according to chancellor Merkel. However, lately Germany has more or less reinvoked this decision as so many refugees crossing were coming that local communities, NGOs of civic society and state administrations felt over burdened, hence unable to cope. The refugees pose a huge challenge but also opportunity for Europe as a whole. In view of this humanitarian crisis, Europe has the chance to show that it can even under tremendous pressure uphold its values.

Thus Donald Tusk's speech on the eve of commerating on Nov. 9th, 2015 as well the 9th of November when the Berlin Wall came down, was expected with great interest. A huge audience filled the space of the Allianz Foundation located directly beside Brandenburger Gate. To underline the inherent contradictions in Europe, just prior to the speech outside police were erecting crowd control fences at the Brandenburg gate due to a Bergida (the Berlin equivalent of the Dresdner Pergida) demonstration against Germany taking in more refugees about to take place. 

It should be said that at this historical moment, it was exceptional for Donald Tusk to speak at this location in Berlin. Given the history of Germany, where it not for the European Union, no Polish politician could have held such a speech to a mainly German audience at the Brandenburg Gate on Nov. 9th, 2015.

Briefly interpreted, Donald Tusk referred to hard borders which he had experienced when he lived still in Socialist Poland and the Iron curtain still a reality which seperated Eastern and Western Europe. The newly elected government in Poland seems to have forgotten that reality. Donald Tusk referred as well to his personal experiences in Solidarnosc.

About open borders, in his speech he gave his full support to Chancellor Merkel who was coming increasingly so under at times heavy criticism among others from Seehofer, the Baverian Prime Minister, for having made that crucial decision to welcome the refugees without any hesitation. Donald Tusk, while making it clear that he wishes to uphold the open borders within Europe as exemplified by the Schengen agreement, he took up the demand for a stricter control of Europe's external border. Thus he stated basically, or rather admitted that Europe has as a whole has a limited capacity and cannot take in so many refugees all at once. In other words, there is a definite limit as to what Europe can cope with. In short, it amounted to a political support of Merkel on the one hand, while on the other he made explicit Europe was only prepared to exercise a limited solidarity with the refugees.

Always quantitative measures are crude, especially for the individual whose fate hangs at the mercy of some bureaucrat granting him or not a legal status, so that he can enter Europe and stay. How fateful this can be, here one needs only to remind of Walter Benjamin who tried to flee the Gestapo but was stopped at the Spanish border since he had no visa for the United States. He committed suicide rather than be taken away by the SS and placed into a concentration camp. To be at the mercy of border guards is never a laughing matter. Moreover the much discussed difference between being granted political asylum and being treated as if merely an economic refugee is a fictitious one. Such border measure is very hard to implement, for how will those controlling the borders know which category to apply when looking into hungry, equally frightened eyes?

In the eyes of the refugees Europe appears to be a safe haven when compared with the places where they come from. Alone Aleppo in Syria has become a known name for all the atrocities being committed tere. It means outsiders recognize Europe as a success story, not so oddly enough for those who consider the Europe as a monstrosity which they prefer to get rid of. This opposition within Europe to the European Union is becoming stronger by the day, and especially if citizens are left alone with their fears attributed now to the influx of so many newcomers or refugees with quite a different cultural and religious background.

Thus the task of a President Tusk was not an easy one when asked to speak about Europe. Donald Tusk loves to use the 'cool language' and at the end of his speech, he mentioned that many have developed a fatigue syndrom with regards to democracy. Hence the best solution, in his own words, would be more exercise as if he was speaking only to a social class which prefers to go to fitness studios to keep up a healthy balance of body and mind.

Note:

This event was initiated by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Robert Bosch Stiftung and Stiftung Zukunft Berlin

The conference closed with a reception on the fourth floor with the Brandenburg Gate close by, and this in memory of November 9, 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down and the Gate opened up again for the first time.

          

__________________________________________________________________

"A Soul for Europe is a civil society initiative that employs a novel, future-oriented model for cooperation between civil society and policy-makers. One of the main ideas is to create a Europe of the Europeans with the citizens’ responsibility for political mechanisms, rather than just a Europe of institutions and regulations. From bases in Amsterdam, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Porto and Tbilisi, the “A Soul for Europe” Initiative is building an international network of European cities and regions, the cultural sector and business as well as European policy-makers. The very heart of the network is the strategy group with 55 outstanding individuals from 21 countries."

a soul for europe has been organizing the Berlin Conference since 2004. For a record of these conferences, see

http://www.asoulforeurope.eu/activities/berlin-conference

Soul for Europe is linked to Stiftung Zukunft Berlin / Foundation Future Berlin

 

http://www.stiftungzukunftberlin.eu/de/soul-europe

 

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