Europe Calling “Being successful against far-right populism” – 16 April, 18:30 CEST – Online & in Düsseldorf

Recording here / Slides by Prof Decker here (in German)

Dear friends!

2024 is a global super election year. So many people have never had a democratic election before. But if the polls are correct, populist parties in particular will be successful. Parties that often attack liberal democracy itself.

But the success of the anti-democrats is not inevitable. The success of pro-democratic alliances against right-wing populist parties, such as in Poland, Spain and the Netherlands, shows that there is another way: There is another way.

We are bringing together academics and politicians from Poland, the Netherlands and Germany to take a closer look: What has led to success against right-wing populism in these countries? Which strategies work and which don’t? How are democracies becoming more resilient against their enemies? And what are the policies that do not give populists room to grow?

Our panellists are:

• Prof Dr Frank Decker, Professor at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology at the University of Bonn, Academic Director of the Bonn Academy for Research and Teaching of Practical Politics (BAPP) and one of the leading experts on populism
• Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker MP, Member of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), deputy CDU state chairwoman of North Rhine-Westphalia and chairwoman of the Legal Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag; retired judge
• Agnieszka Wiśniewska (online), well-known journalist and political commentator from Poland, editor-in-chief of the online magazine KrytykaPolityczna.pl
• Pieter Hilhorst (online), Dutch publicist, researcher, moderator and social innovator, ex-politician of the social democratic PvdA. Member of “The Council for Public Health & Society”, an independent advisory body for the Dutch government and parliament
• Moderation: Councillor Harald Schwenk from the Düsseldorf Green Salon team and Dr Maximilian Fries, Managing Director of Europe Calling e.V.

Date: Tuesday, 16 April 2024, 1830h CEST

Anyone who is in the neighbourhood on that day is also cordially invited to Düsseldorf. Because this time we are fully hybrid, here: FFT Forum Freies Theater (in the KAP1 foyer), Konrad-Adenauer-Platz 1, 40210 Düsseldorf (directly at the main station), admission free!

For this event we are teaming up with the “Grüner Salon Düsseldorf” with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation NRW and the FFT Forum Freies Theater Düsseldorf.

With interpretation in German and English.

Come along and invite others!

With European greetings,

Maximilian Fries for Europe Calling & the team of the Grüner Salon Düsseldorf