Conference "Our Europe - Social Europe" (2011)

Project contractors: ISI, Center for Historical and Political Studies (CHPS) and "Friedrich Ebert" Foundation (FES) – Bureau Bulgaria

Implementation period: November 2011

Source of funding: FES

Conference "Our Europe - Social Europe - Challenges for Social Democracy in Europe and Bulgaria" was held on November 30, 2011 in hotel "Hilton", "Musala 2" Hall.

It was attended by Henning Meyer from the London School of Economics and Political Science; Georgi Pirinski, Vice Chairman of the 41st National Assembly and Chairman of the Ideological and Program Development Commission of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, as well as  leading Bulgarian scientists, politicians and public figures.

The discussion took place in two panels:

Panel 1 - "Social Europe – towards renovation of the social democracy in Europe". There, introductory theses were set by Henning Meyer, London School of Economics (New Concepts of Social Democracy in Europe); Antoniy Todorov, political scientist, New Bulgarian University (We need a new discourse of the Left in Bulgaria); and Krastio Petkov (Social Bulgaria).

Panel 2 - "Parties, Citizens, Politics - the need for organizational reforms". The main accents on the topic were set by Henning Meyer, London School of Economics; followed by the introductory lecture "Mobilizing Civil Society in Bulgaria" by Ivelin Nikolov, political scientist and MP; and Boyko Velikov, Director of the National Institute of Politology and MP with the lecture "The renovation should start from the bottom".