16.03. 2016 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “THE SOUL OF EUROPE”
Pro Patria Institute, Robert Schuman Foundation, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. and the Office of MEP Tunne Kelam
11 March 2016 Swissôtel Tallinn
“A creative minority of practising Christians, Schuman, Adenauer and De Gasperi, helped Europe out of its post-war crisis by proposing a way forward based on biblical principles. They believed that democracy was either Christian, or it would become non-existent.”
Tunne KELAM
10:00-10:15 Opening of the conference
Chairman of the Pro Patria Institute and former Minister of Foreign Affairs TRIVIMI VELLISTE is a politician, diplomat and National Heritage character. He is one of the founders of the heritage protection movement and Estonian Citizens' Committees Movement. He was the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Estonia for 1992–1994, the ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the UN for 1994–1998. Velliste was a member of the defence commission in the Riigikogu and one of the leaders of the Baltic Assembly, and Chairman of the parliament's National Heritage union for 1999–2011. Velliste is the chairman or honorary chairman of many associations. Ambassador Velliste is currently involved in the Estonian War Museum and is one of the leaders of the Patarei Sea Fortress development project.
10:15-11:45 The Soul of Europe – values vs. actual policy
The events of recent years have made many Europeans ask: what are the European values that we are ready to stand up for together? And are we ready only with words or also with our actions? Does the real daily pragmatic policy leave any space to look for a value-based soul of Europe? These questions are relevant for the future prospects of the whole of Europe as well as for Estonia's daily policy.
Editor of the independent opinion and analysis portal POLIITIKA.guru ANREAS KAJU is an acknowledged political commentator. He is a founder and partner of Meta Advisory, a consultancy company specialising in pan-Baltic government relations and communications, and has formerly worked as an advisor to the prime minister and political secretary of the Res Publica political party.
Director of the Schuman Centre for European Studies JEFF FOUNTAIN is the chairman of the Hope for Europe Round Table. Originally from New Zealand, he has lived in Europe for over 35 years and carries a Dutch passport. He was director of YWAM Europe for twenty years before resigning in order to establish the Schuman Centre for European Studies, affiliated with the University of the Nations. Fountain writes an email column called Weekly Word and edits HOPE magazine. He has written several books including “Living as people of hope” and “Deeply Rooted”.
The Finnish writer and historian Martti HÄIKIÖ has been associate professor in political history at the University of Helsinki since 1978. He has been the editor-in-chief and columnist of various Finnish magazines and newspapers. Over the past ten years he has published six compilations about various aspects of telecommunications and their combined effect in the fields of innovation, regulation and business, particularly in the era of the third industrial revolution. Currently, Martti Häikiö is studying the biography of Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, who was the first Head of State of independent Finland in 1918 and President for 1931–1944. Martti Häikiö is also a member of the academic council of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies (WMCES).
Doctor of Theology RINGO RINGVEE works as a adviser at the religious affairs department at the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, whose duty is to advise on the relations of the state and religion. He is an acclaimed historian of religions and a lecturer in theology. Ringvee has made presentations on religion at various conferences and seminars in Estonia and abroad and published a number of articles in his field.
Debate VIDEO
VHK students summary VIDEO
12:30-14:00 Migration crisis – the acid test for the soul of Europe?
New conflicts in the Middle East, North Africa, Ukraine, South-East Asia and elsewhere have sharply increased the number of asylum seekers. There are already over 50 million refugees and migrants in the world and their numbers are constantly and rapidly growing. Is it hopelessly late for Europe to respond? How can we feasibly tackle these crises and their impact on Europe? Does Europe even understand the nature of these crises?
e-Resident of Estonia FLORIAN HARTLEB is a German and European political expert and consultant (florianhartleb.com). He studied political science, law and psychology at Eastern Illinois University (USA) and the University of Passau, and gained his doctorate from Chemnitz University of Technology in 2004 on right- and left-wing populism. Florian Hartleb subsequently worked as a consultant in the German parliament (Bundestag), as a research associate at Chemnitz University of Technology and as a Professor for political management at a private university in Berlin, as researcher at the Brussels based Wilfried Martens Center and later for the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung headquarters in Berlin, recently as Manager of Public Affairs for the Union of small and medium-sized companies, also in Berlin. His research areas include populism, political parties and extremism in the EU, as well as political leadership. He has co-authored three high school textbooks, gives statements and interviews on Europe (recently on Al Jazeera TV) and writes comments in various newspapers including Tagesspiegel, Wiener Zeitung and Postimees.
Minister of Social Protection of the Republic of Estonia, Chairman of the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union MARGUS TSAHKNA has been a member of parliament and the general secretary of the political party for 2007–2010. Tsahkna studied in the faculties of theology and law at the University of Tartu and has also studied international law at the University of Toronto. He is a board member at MTÜ Tartu Kristlik Noortekodu (Tartu Christian Adolescent Home) and a member of the General Johan Laidoner Society, the Estonian Atlantic Treaty Association and the academic fraternal organisation Sakala.
The rabbi and political scientist AVRAAM SHMULEVICH is the President of the Institute of Eastern Partnership, Jerusalem, who mainly specialises in Islamic and Caucasian history. He has advised the Georgian, Ukrainian and Israeli governments as an expert. Avraam Shmulevich has Estonian roots on his mother’s side, which is why he is also interested in events in Estonia. The Estonian press has published a number of remarkable interviews with him about Islam, terrorism and the dangers that may also concern the people of Estonia in the future.
Debate VIDEO
VHK students summary VIDEO
14:30-16:00 Reflections of the soul of Europe in defence and security policy
Europe lives in a new geopolitical reality, in which two violent armed attempts have been made in the past eight years to change state borders. Have Russia's ambitions and tactics changed and how? What challenges does this pose for Europe? How ready and able is Europe to actually admit these challenges and find solutions in order to avoid armed conflicts on European territory?
The acclaimed journalist, radio personality and long-term media manager ANVAR SAMOST has led the Postimees newspaper, BNS news agency and Hommikuleht newspaper. He has hosted weekly radio shows on political analysis, initially Olukorrast Riigis on Estonian national radio and currently Muuli and Samost on Kuku radio. Anvar Samost was a Pro Patria and Res Publica Union candidate for the European Parliament in 2014 and the Estonian Parliament in 2015.
Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Estonian Parliament MARKO MIHEKLSON is a politician from the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union and an acclaimed expert in foreign policy. He has been a member of parliament since 2003. Before his political career he was a valued journalist and editor-in-chief of the Postimees newspaper, as well as director of the Baltic Centre for Russian Studies. Mihkelson has published a number of articles and a book on the recent history of Russia.
The independent researcher MARK SOLONIN mainly studies the aggressive Stalinist foreign policy of the Soviet Union in 1938–1941. An aviation engineer by education, Solonin joined a democratic movement opposed to the Soviet regime in 1987, led political mass meetings and initiated the first opposition associations. His history monographs have been published in Russia, Germany and Estonia and in a number of ex-socialist countries. Mark Solonin is an active supporter of the democratic revolution in Ukraine and has published a large number of articles exposing the aggression of Putinist Russia against Ukraine. The Novaya Gazeta published a series of his articles about the technical aspects of the destruction of the MH-17 passenger airplane.
Debate VIDEO
VHK students summary VIDEO
16:00 Conclusions
Working languages: Estonian, English and Russian, simultaneous translation
