Fri, 10 Sep 2010 07:41:29 +0000
European Union and the Community of Democracies Together for Global Democracy - 16 November 2009
On 16 November 2009, the Lithuanian Presidency and the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies organized a round table meeting "New Partnerships in Democracy Building: EU and the Community of Democracies." Distinguished guests included Mr. Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament; Mr. Vygaudas Usackas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; Ms. Maria Leissner, Swedish Ambassador for Democratic Issues; Ms. Helga Schmid, Director, Policy Unit, Council Secretariat; Mr. Karel Kovanda, Political Director, European Commission; Mr. Michael Posner, Deputy Secretary of US State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour; Mr. Vytautas Landsbergis, Member of the European Parliament; Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice – President of the European Parliament, and many others participated in this event.
The round table concluded that now is a perfect timing for launching the cooperation between the EU and the Community of Democracies, as the Community is currently in a renewal phase and the EU is defining its role in global democracy promotion. Important role players, such as, President Buzek, a new, energetic leader of the European Parliament and the Community of Democracies leader countries, such as Poland and Lithuania are bringing invaluable expertise, as those who have recently won democracy and gone through a successful transformation. President Buzek stressed the role the Community of Democracies can play in global governance built on development, institution building, procedures, human rights, and solidarity aiming at poverty reduction, sustainable development and peace.
EU is open to cooperation with the Community of Democracies and sees this new partnership as crucial and the Community of Democracies as bringing added value. Creating synergies and pragmatic cooperation between various global democracy actors, including the EU and the Community of Democracies, is especially important when democracy is challenged by such trends as emergence of "sovereign democracies", examples of "competing models" such as Russia and China, or extremist groups winning more support in established democracies. The EU expects the Community of Democracies to play the global role of democracy supporter and bridge the divides and fill the vacuum in and among the existing international structures and systems. Advantages of the Community of Democracies as a new organization with a clean record, combined and cumulated experience of the participating states and flexibility were highlighted in regard to its potential for constructing democracy worldwide, addressing the "democracy deficit", and resymbolizing the notion of democracy promotion.
To read the speeches click on the links below.
Intervention by Prof. Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament
Statement by Mr. Vygaudas Ušackas, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania
Talking points of Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament
Speech of Hon. Dr. Tonio Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta
Michael Allen from Democracy Digest on Community of Democracies