News from Berlin - The Goethe-Institut in Madrid, together with the Centro de Estudios Politicos y Constitucionales (CEPC), the Manuel Giménez Abad Foundation and the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in cooperation with the Lithuanian Embassy in Madrid, the Polish Cultural Institute and the Belgian Embassy in Madrid is organizing the conference “Elections to the European Union 2014 – A democratic challenge in times of crisis”. The event will take place at the Goethe-Insitut in Madrid on May 13^th 2014 and will start at 18:00 with an opening speech by Margareta Hauschild, Director of the Goethe-Institut Madrid, Benigno Pendás, Director of the Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales and José Tudela, Director General of the Manuel Giménez Abad Foundation.

Wilhelm Schönfelder, former Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union in Brussels and Carlos Carnero, Director of the Alternativas Foundation will in the first part of the conference discuss the role of the European Parliament in the integration process, its functions and responsibilities after the Lisbon Treaty as well as the future of the institution. Representatives of leading European think-tanks will join a round table debate in the second part of evening and will introduce and analyze the candidates and the political parties’ programs for the 8^th European Parliament. The participants are invited to be proactive, to share opinions and raise questions – only through true dialogue and interaction Cultural Diplomacy can be applied in a united Europe. The event sessions are going to be simultaneously translated into German, English and Spanish - an opportunity to bring together a broad international audience.

Program of the event (in German): http://www.goethe.de/mmo/priv/12714100-STANDARD.pdf

News from Berlin - Berlin Global