EU Funds: Abuses and the Political Consequences
Kursnummer: 110820onWhen: Monday, 22 June2020, 9:00-11:00
Tuesday, 23 June 2020, 9:00-11:00
Where: Concordia Cloud
Registration deadline: Saturday, 20 June 2020.
Registration is mandatory. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link one day before the event.
Background
EU funds abuses have been prominent in several Visegrad Four states. Slovak journalist Ján Kuciak was assassinated because of his investigative work related to the corruption involving these funds. Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, allegedly channels EU funded contracts to the companies belonging to his family and friends. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš was accused of conflict of interests: his companies allegedly profited from the EU funds. These practices have political consequences. Some analysts argue that they even contribute to the rising authoritarianism in the region. What can be done to stop the abuse?
Investigative journalists, political analysts and European Commission experts explain the patterns of abuse, explore the political consequences, and suggest solutions.
Speakers
22 June 2020, 9:00-11:00. EU Funds: Patterns of Abuse
Blanka Zöldi, investigative journalist, Direkt36, Hungary
Jiří Nádoba, staff writer, Respekt, Czech Republic
Peter Sabo, investigative reporter, Aktuality, Slovakia
Grzegorz Makowski, sociologist, expert on corruption, Stefan Batory Foundation, Poland.
Judy Dempsey, non-resident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe; editor in chief of the Strategic Europe blog. Former Brussels correspondent for the Financial Times. Europe’s Futures Fellow.
Moderator: Mirjana Tomić, fjum, Vienna
23 June 2020, 9:00-11:00. Political Consequences and Possible Solutions
Political Consequences
Péter Krekó, political scientist, executive director, Political Capital, Budapest, Hungary. Europe’s Futures Fellow.
Michal Vašečka, sociologist, program director, Bratislava Policy Institute.
Possible Solutions
Anne Vitrey de Gardebosc, specialist in European public finances, professor, College of Europe (Bruges, Belgium). Former Director of Budgetary Affairs, European Parliament.
Peter Csonka, lawyer, expert in the European criminal law, Head of General Criminal Law and Judicial Training in DG Justice, Brussels.
Moderator: Ivan Vejvoda, Europe’s Futures, IWM, Vienna
Target Groups
Vienna-based journalists, as well as journalists from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. International journalists covering Central Europe.
Number of participants: Maximum 30
Format
Short presentations and interactive discussion.
Further Questions
For additional information about the session, contact Mirjana Tomic, seminar manager, mirjana.tomic@fjum-wien.at, or call 0676 365 26 93
European Contexts
Upon request by the Austrian and Central European media representatives to create an informal regional platform/network of journalists who could cooperate on common projects or simply consult each other on the latest developments in their respective countries, four organisations decided to support this initiative, aimed at strengthening quality journalism. The initiative consists of seminars that address themes of common interest and enable journalists to meet and discuss.
23.06.202009:00 - 11:00
kostenlos. Anmeldung erforderlich.
Peter Sabo, Péter Krekó, Grzegorz Makowski, Judy Dempsey, Jiří Nádoba, Ivan Vejvoda, Peter Csonka, Blanka Zöldi, Anne Vitrey, Michal Vašečka
Online (Zoom)