Events

On the occasion of the visit to Georgia by Jerzy Pomianowski, Executive Director of the European Endowment for Democracy, Ilia University and the Delegation of the European Union welcomes you to a panel discussion about the conditions for democracy on 16 October 2013 at the Ilia University, at 17:00 in  Room A 101.

During the discussion the panelists will address issues like the following:

• Legitimate representation: how do political parties build on and manage personal loyalties, collective interests and ideology?
• How to balance majority rule versus minority rights: in a democracy the majority decides, but what are the limits to its power over individuals and minorities?
• Institutions and the common good: democracy works through process and compromise, producing results that are ideal to no-one but acceptable to all. How are stable democratic institutions that serve the common good built?

The panel will discuss these and other questions, looking at the situation in Georgia and comparing it with the experience of Poland - a country that, like Georgia, has transformed radically since the fall of communism, and has managed social and political tensions by establishing strong democratic institutions.

Jerzy Pomianowski is the Executive Director of the European Endowment for Democracy. He has served in the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs as Deputy Foreign Minister and Director General with a focus on democratization and development. In his youth, he was active in the democratic opposition against the Polish communist regime.

Oliver Reisner is a Doctor of Modern Georgian History, Goettingen University. He coordinated a post-graduate Central Asia/Caucasus programme at Humboldt University; managed an EU-funded civic integration project for minority-populated regions of Georgia. Currently is a project manager at the EU Delegation to Georgia and continues his academic work. 

Vazha Salamadze is a founding director of Civil Society Institute. Of his 26-year experience in public sector 18 years were dedicated to development of civil society and promoting enabling environment  for CSOs. He teaches policy analysis at several universities of  Georgia. 

Tamar Tsopurashvili is an Associate Professor, Acting Director of Savle Tsereteli Institute for Philosophy at Ilia State University. She studied and defended her PhD thesis at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany), participates actively in current public debates on democratization and human rights issues in Georgia, is involved in civil activism. 

The European Endowment for Democracy is a European initiative to advance and encourage deep and sustainable democracy in transition countries, with a focus on the European Neighbourhood. The EED receives requests for support from civil society organisations, movements and individual activists regardless of their size or formal status.