· Kosovo and It‘s Independence
On January 14th, 2008, The Lord Byron Foundation for Balkan Studies, The Chronicles Magazine, M. R. Štefánik Conservative Institute and the Impulz journal organized an international conference on Kosovo and It‘s Independence in Bratislava.
The following personalities were discussing on the topic: Mr. James Bissett, Canada, Chairman of The Lord Byron Foundation, Mr. Ján Čarnogurský, former Slovak Prime Minister, Mr. Dušan Čaplovič, Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Alexander Duleba, SFPA, Mr. Srdja Trifkovic, USA, Chronicles Magazine, Mr. James Jatras, USA, Chairman of The American Council for Kosovo, Mr. František Lipka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, former Slovak ambassador, Mr. Matyáš Zrno, Civic Institute Prague, Czech Republic, Mr. Roman Bužek, Director General of the Political Affairs Section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Mr. Vladimír Palko, a Member of Parliament, Mr. Peter Zajac, Chairman of CI and Mr. József Berényi, a Member of Parliament. Jaroslav Daniška and Jozef Majchrák moderated the discussion.
· February 1948 – A History or Current Threat?
On February 22nd, 2008, CI organized a public discussion on 60th anniversary of the coup d‘État in February 1948 called February 1948 – A History or Current Threat? The participants of the discussion were Mr. László Öllös, politologist, Mr. Vladimír Palko, a Member of Parliament, Mr. Peter Zajac, Chairman of CI and Mr. Tomáš Zálešák, politologist and CI fellow worker. The Editor in Chief of the .týždeň weekly, Mr. Štefan Hríb, moderated the discussion.
· CEQLS lecture: Pierre Garello: The Third Way as a Dead-End Street: French Experience
On March 17th, 2008, CI organized another CEQLS lecture in Bratislava in collaboration with SKOI. Mr. Pierre Garello, a professor of economics in Université Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille, gave a lecture on The Third Way as a Dead-End Street: French Experience.
· 2007 Student‘s Essay contest
On April 22nd, 2008, CI in collaboration with Center for Economics and Policy, Prague, Czech Republic, organized the screening of The Great Global Warming Swindle documentary film in the Mladosť cinema in Bratislava. Before the film projection, an awarding ceremony of the 2007 Student‘s Essay contest on the topic called Global Warming – the Truth and Social Myths (Why Al Gore Should Not Be Awarded with the Nobel Prize?) took place.
The Student‘s Essay jury decided about the awardees after an anonymous evaluation of more than 40 essays as follows:
· The Committees of Inquiry of the National Council of the Slovak Republic
On April 28th, 2008, CI organized a professional discussion on the Committees of Inquiry of the National Council of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. Mr. Daniel Lipšic, a Member of Parliament (Christian Democratic Movement), Mr. Radoslav Procházka, attorney-at-law, Mr. Ernest Valko, attorney-at-law and Mr. Jozef Vozár, attorney-at-law were the participants. Mr. Ondrej Dostál, CI director, was the moderator.
· Bridges Out Of Poverty
On May 22nd, 2008, Association for Social Reform, SOCIA Foundation and CI organized jointly a seminar called Bridges Out Of Poverty with Ms. Ruby Payne (U.S.A.).
· CEQLS lecture: Victoria Curzon-Price: Managing Diversity and Competition in Switzerland: Lessons for Europe?
On June 12th, 2008, CI organized another CEQLS lecture in Bratislava in collaboration with SKOI. This time, the topic was Managing Diversity and Competition in Switzerland: Lessons for Europe?. The lecture was given by Ms. Victoria Curzon-Price, a professor of economics in the University of Geneva and the Mont Pèlerin Society vice president.
· Conference on Value Orientation of the Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic
On June 17th, 2008, CI, with the support of Open Society Institute, organized a conference on Value Orientation of the Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava. In this conference, the CI fellow workers Mr. Svetozár Gavora and Mr. Ondrej Schütz, Mr. Eduard Kukan, Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Mr. František Šebej, an editor of .týždeň, Mr. Ivan Kuhn, CI analyst, Mr. Jeff Lovitt, PASOS, Mr. Grigorij Mesežnikov, Institute for Public Affairs, Ms. Nora Beňáková, People in Peril, Ms. Zuzana Fialová, an adviser in human rights, security and development aid issues, gave their lectures. Mr. Ondrej Dostál, Mr. Jozef Majchrák and Mr. Ivan Kuhn were the moderators.
· CEQLS lecture: José Piñera: Private vs. Public Pension Systems
On September 11th, 2008, CI in co-operation with SKOI, organized in Bratislava another lecture included in the CEQLS cycle – this time on Private vs. Public Pension Schemes by Mr. José Piñera, the Chairman of The International Center for Pension Reform and the designer of the Chilean pension reform.
· Conference on Primary Schools in the Reform Processes
On September 24th, 2008, CI organized a conference on Primary Schools in the Reform Processes in Bratislava. Ms. Zuzana Humajová, Mr. Peter Zajac, Mr. Martin Mojžiš, Mr. Marian Timoracký, Mr. Branislav Pupala, Ms. Anna Chlupíková and Ms. Jarmila Maliariková gave their lectures in this conference.
· Do the Depots Belong into the Towns?
On September 26th, 2008, CI organized in Bratislava a discussion named Do the Depots Belong into the Towns? Ms. Zuzana Čaputová and Mr. Jaroslav Pavlovič from the civic initiative called No Depot Belongs to the Town from Pezinok were the participants. Mr. Peter Zajac was the moderator.
· The European Union Future – A View from Central Europe
On October 27th, 2008, CI in co-operation with EUportál.cz and Instytut Sobieskiego organized an international conference on The European Union Future – A View from Central Europe in Bratislava.
Mr. Lukáš Petřík, a politologist, EUportal.cz, Mr. Maciej Ruczaj, journalist and external fellow worker, Międzynarodowy Przegląd Polityczny, Mr. Ondrej Dostál, CI Director, Mr. Petr Mach, Director of Center for Economics and Policy, Mr. Róbert Ondrejcsák, Executive Director of Center for European and North Atlantic Studies, Mr. Mateusz Gniazdowski, politologist, The Polish Institute of International Affairs, Ms. Anna Záborská, a Member of European Parliament, Mr. Paweł Szałamacha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sobieski Institute, Mr. Alexander Tomský, professor of European Political History, and Mr. Tomáš Zálešák, politologist, University of Trnava, CI fellow worker. Mr. Lukáš Petřík, Mr. Ivan Kuhn and Mr. Maciej Ruczaj were the moderators.
· Academy of Classical Economics (ACE)
On October 29th, 2008, CI in partnership with the College of Management opened the second year of seminars on economics called the Academy of Classical Economics.
· Public Funds in the Environment of the Global Financial Crisis
On December 2nd, 2008, INESS and CI organized jointly the discussion forum on Public Funds in the Environment of the Global Financial Crisis in Bratislava. Mr. Zdenko Krajčír, the Director of Institute of Finance Policy, Mr. Peter Gonda, the CI economist, Mr. Ján Tóth, Chairman of the Slovak Association of Economic Analysts and the Senior Economist of ING Bank Slovensko and Mr. Radovan Ďurana, INESS analyst gave their lectures. The Deputy Editor in Chief of the .týždeň weekly, Mr. Robert Žitňanský, moderated the discussion.
· Independence – Solidarity – Freedom
On December 4th, 2008, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Bratislava organized in collaboration with CI a discussion called Independence – Solidarity – Freedom in Bratislava in memory of 90th anniversaries of foundation of modern Poland and of foundation of Czechoslovakia.
After the introductory speech of Mr. Bogdan Wrzochalski, the First Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, the following personalities participate din the discussion: Mr. Ján Čarnogurský, former dissident, Mr. Milan Zemko, historian, Mr. Tomáš Zálešák, politologist and CI fellow worker, Mr. Łukasz Adamski, politologist and historian and Mr. Radosław Zenderowski, politologist and historian. The final words belonged to His Excellency Mr. Andrzej Krawczyk, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Bratislava. Mr. Jaroslav Daniška, editor of .týždeň and CI fellow worker, moderated the discussion.
· CEQLS lecture: Marcel Guarnizo: Economics, Philosophy and Foundations of Democracy
On December 10th, 2008, CI in co-operation with the Library of the University of Trnava organized in Trnava a lecture of Mr. Marcel Guarnizo, Chairman of the Educational Initiative for Central and Eastern Europe, on Economics, Philosophy and Foundations of Democracy.
On December 10th, 2008, CI organized another CEQLS lecture in Bratislava in collaboration with SKOI and with support of the Penta Foundation. Mr. Marcel Guarnizo, Chairman of the Educational Initiative for Central and Eastern Europe, gave a lecture on Economics, Philosophy and Foundations of Democracy.