Launch Common Ground

Group picture of the representatives of the eight Common Ground regions
Manuel Frauendorf

Common Ground - Shaping Regions Across Borders

Kick-off event

Tuesday, 14 June 2022 from 6pm in Berlin

 

During the festive launch event of the "Common Ground" program, the eight border regions selected in a multi-stage selections process were officially accepted into the program. Together with representatives from politics, administration and civil society, we discussed how democracy can be strengthened in Europe, what role citizen participation can play in this process and what opportunities and challenges for these processes arise in border regions.

Program

Moderation: Prof. Christiane Dienel, nexus Institute, Berlin

18:00
 | 
Arrival and Registration
18:30
 | 
Welcome Address and Opening Statement

Claudia Rolf, Program Director Democracy, Robert Bosch Stiftung

18:45
 | 
Keynote

“Strengthening Democracy in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities of Cross-Border Citizen Participation” (Working Title)

Claudia Chwalisz, Innovative Citizen Participation Lead, OECD

19:15
 | 
Panel Discussion
  • Claudia Chwalisz, Innovative Citizen Participation Lead, OECD
  • Dr. Gesine Märtens, State Ministry of Justice and for Democracy, Europe and Equality, Saxony
  • Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community of Belgium (previously Chairman of the European Committee of the Regions) 
  • Vanessa Edmeier, Managing Director Hochrheinkommission
20:00
 | 
Official admission of the selected border regions into the Common Ground program

Brief introduction of the eight nominated Common Ground regions.

Laudation: 

Ralf Göbel, Head of the Departments for Equivalent Living Conditions, Demography and Municipalities, Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) 

Dr. Ben Behmenburg, Head of the Department for Cross-Border Regional Cooperation, Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) 

from ca. 20:30
 | 
Evening Reception

Event Location

Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH - Representative Office Berlin, Französische Straße 32, 10117 Berlin

Contact

Sylvia Hirsch
Senior Project Manager
Phone+49 711 46084-823
e-mail to Sylvia Hirsch
Niels Barth
Senior Project Manager
Phone+49 711 46084-300
e-mail to Niels Barth
Nicolas Bach
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
nexus Institut
Phone+49 30 31805465
e-mail to Nicolas Bach