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2004 Conferences

[01.01.2005, Admin, CONFERENCES]

· Discussion Evening with Jason Turner

On March 18, 2004 the Conservative Institute in co-operation with the Association for Social Reform and the Permanent Conference of the Civic Institute and weekly newspaper Domino Forum organised a discussion evening with Jason Turner, an expert of the Heritage Foundation (USA) who is an author of social reforms in two states – Wisconsin and New York.

Jason Turner presented the social system reform in the USA and possible ways of its application in Slovakia. The evening was chaired by František Šebej, the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Domino Forum.


· Lack of Democracy in the European Union

On May 17, 2004 the Conservative Institute together with the Young Conservatives organised the seminar Lack of Democracy in the European Union. David Hanák, a co-worker of the Civic Institute in Prague, a founder of the Eurosceptic Alternative and author of the book Legitimity in Democracy: Why the EU Instutions Are Not Legitimate as Seen from a Democratic Frame of Reference was a guest at the seminar.


· D-Day After 60 Years

On June 7, 2004, the Conservative Institute and the Young Conservatives organised the seminar D-Day After 60 Years devoted to the 60th anniversary of the Allies´ landing in Normandy.

Tomáš Zálešák, a political scientist, Trnava University, and advisor to the Chairman of the Parliament (The National Council of the SR) (The Landing in Normandy and Its Influence on Relations in the Anti-Hitlerian Coalition and the Situation in Europe After War), Ivo Samson, a foreign policy analyst, the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (The Invasion in Normandy Seen As a Model for Trans-Atlantic Relations) and Peter Osuský, the Vice-Chancellor of Comenius University and Vice-Chairman of the Civic Conservative Party (About an American Tradition of „Interventions into Inner Affairs“ in Europe) presented their contributions at the seminar.


· What Does the Euro Mean for Slovakia?

On September 7, 2004 the Conservative Institute prepared a conference What Does the Euro Mean for Slovakia? in Bratislava. Marián Nemec, the Director of the Financial Studies Institute of the National Bank of Slovakia, Petr Mach, the Executive Director of the Center for Economy and Politics from Prague, Peter Gonda, an enonomical analyst for the Conservative Institute of M. R. Štefánik and Dalibor Roháč, an analyst for the Free Society Institute presented their contributions at the conference.

The conferenec objective was to draw attention to the fact that there is no discussion about acceptance or non-acceptance of the European currency. The Conservative Institute is of the opinion that the accession of Slovakia to the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) should not be hastened. On the contrary, it should be postponed confirming thus the government´s adherance to traditional values of the western civilisation i.e. competition and personal freedom and will not force citizens to assume an inadequate risk.


· Why to Refuse the European Constitution

On October 11, 2004 the conference Why to Refuse the European Constitution was held by the Conservative Institute and the Center for the Economy and Politics (CEP, Prague). Vladimír Palko, the Minister of Interior and Vice-Chairman of the Christian Democratic Movement, Ivo Strejček, a Member of the European Parliament (ODS), Peter Zajac, the President of the CI , Marek Loužek, an analyst for the CEP and advisor to Václav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, Juraj Hrabko, the Chairman of the Permanent Conference of the Civic Institute (SKOI), Miloslav Bednář, a philosopher, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, co-author of the Manifesto of Czech Eurorealism, Petr Mach, the Executive Director of the CEP, Peter Gonda, an analyst for the CI and Dalibor Roháč, an analyst for the Free Society Institute presented their contributions at the conference.

The conference objective was to point out the risks hidden in the European Constitution. The European Constitution centralises decision making in the EU and opens the door to a European superstate. If a common market in the EU is to work, it is neccessary to make certain decisions on the Union level. But certainly not to such extent as it is today, not even mentioning further expansion of the EU competencies to disadvantage of Member States, which is also one of the prospective impacts of the European Constitution. Expansion of eurobureaucratic interventions into the economy is bad news for European economies and for our citizens´standard of living.


· Since November 1989 until November 2004

On November 16, 2004, the Conservative Institute held a conference Since November 1989 until November 2004 at which a critical view on society after the year 1989 was presented, the conference took place on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the „Velvet Revolution” which lead to the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia.

In the first block „How do the partakers of November ´89 see the present situation“ (chaired by Štefan Hríb , the editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Týždeň), Ján Budaj, Fedor Gál, László Nagy, László Szigeti, Peter Tatár, Peter Zajac presented their constributions.

In the next block called „15 years of economic transformation in Slovakia“, Peter Gonda interviewed Jozef Kučerák, former deputy prime minister for the economy of the Slovak Government (1990 – 1991).

In the last block „How Slovakia has coped with the past“ Štefan Hríb interviewed Ján Langoš, the Chairman of the Directorate of the Institute of Nation´s Memory and former Minister of Interior of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic (1990 – 1992) and Vladimír Palko, the Minister of Interior and Vice-Chairman of the Christian Democratic Movement.


· USA, Europe and Slovakia

Within the framework of the project USA, Europe and Slovakia the Conservative Institute altogether with other organisations and institutions organised conferences in Trenčín, Prešov, Banská Bystrica, Martin, Košice and Nitra.

Daniel Bútora, a publicist and former director of the Slovak broadcasting department of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Tomáš Zálešák, a political scientist and advisor to the Chairman of the Parliament (The National Council of the SR), Bill Baker from the Association for Social Reform (Košice) and František Šebej, a foreign policy analyst, presented their contributions at the conferences.


· Is the Reform of Public Administration in Slovakia Over? The conference took place in Bratislava on December 8, 2004. Martin Valentovič (M.E.S.A. 10), Vladimír Bajan (the Mayor of Petržalka), Jaroslav Pilát (M.E.S.A. 10), Pavol Hašúk (the Mayor of the village of Štitáre) and Dušan Sloboda (an analyst for the CI) presented their opinions on ongoing fiscal decentralisation and upcoming municipal reform in the SR. The conference was chaired by Robert Žitňanský, an editor of the weekly magazine Týždeň.