Democracy is Europe

2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the return to freedom and democracy to Central and Eastern Europe and of Estonia’s restoration of independence.

The project "Democracy is Europe" aims to raise awareness on the centrality of the European ideals in the transitions and peaceful revolutions of 1989-1991 in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic states and to encourage debate and reflection on the impact of such ideas in today's Europe.

For this reason, within the framework of the project led by the Union of European Federalists, grass-root events have been organized to reflect on this fundamental moment in our continent’s history and to imagine together the future of European integration. The project is co-funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union. The Estonian session of “Democracy is Europe” is organized in cooperation with and locally managed by the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the University of Tartu.

Given the ongoing health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will take place exclusively in remote mode.

The Estonian grass-root event consists of two days of activities. On April 23, two panel sessions will be held to discuss the historical context of Estonia's Singing Revolution and its significance for nations struggling for democracy and freedom nowadays. The panels will be open to everyone interested. On April 24, the registered participants, grouped in virtual teams, will work on different creative projects that capture the significance of Estonia's experience for today's Europe and its fundamental contribution to the process of integration. The day will be concluded by a keynote speech of Visiting Prof. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former president of Estonia (2006-2016).

The authors of the best projects will receive an award certificate and a prize whose entity and nature will be revealed during the event.

The full programme of the event is available at the following link and the Facebook event can be found here.

Registration is REQUIRED to participate to the event and is available at the following link (open until April 22).

Additional information:
Stefano Braghiroli
Associate Professor of European Studies
Programme Director for European Union - Russia Studies
+372 737 6581
[email protected]