On 31 May and 01 June, Barcelona will host the conference "European Citizenship in Challenging Times", organized by the European Commission in collaboration with EUROM and Barcelona City Council. Rafał Rogulski, Director of ENRS will co-lead one of the workshops.
The meeting will bring together citizenship organizations and experts on memory and remembrance with the aim to reflect on the development of a policy framework to guide the assessment and future development of the Europe for Citizens programme. The keynote presentation of the conference will be performed by journalist Adam Michnik on 31 May at the University of Barcelona. The remembrance meeting will be held on 01 June at El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, starting with a keynote speech by Andreas Huyssen and closing remarks Regine Robin.
Rafał Rogulski, Director of European Network Remembrance and Solidarity will co-lead together with EUROM and Memory Lab representatives - a workshop concerning European Remembrance networking. He will present ENRS profile and will address the following questions:
1. Where are the imaginary boundaries of European citizenship and European memory?
2. How can we make democracy in the form of pluralism and a dialogue of cultures a reality?
3. How can we create inclusive memory which will sustain democratic and integrative citizenship?
4. How can solidarity be produced across national and religious divides?
European citizenship in challenging times
Remember, engage, debate.
For some time now the European Union is witnessing a human tragedy at its shores, thousands of people are seeking a safe place where to live in a continent which prides of being open and democratic. It is the largest migration and humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War, and public opinion is turning critic to the situation.
Among the questions behind this situation there is the fear of losing identity and the weakening of the democratic institutions due to religion and cultural fragmentation. In this context, where are the imaginary boundaries of the European citizenship and European memory? How can we achieve a pluralistic democracy and a real dialogue between different cultures? How can we create an inclusive memory to sustain a democratic and integrative citizenry? Is solidarity possible in a context of national and religious divisions? These are some of the questions to be addressed during the symposium that will be held in Barcelona in from 31 May to 01 June, 2016.