ASPS annual debate in Strasbourg
Each year, in the sidelines of the World Forum for Democracy, the Association of Schools of Political Studies organises a public debate in the city of Strasbourg, open to school participants, alumni, members of European and local institutions as well as the general public of Strasbourg.
Public Debate 2025 – Who's afraid of human rights? Utopia or dystopia in 2025?
How relevant are human rights when wars are raging across the world and people are facing humanitarian disasters ? This public debate on November 6, 2025, organised by the Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe (ASPS) invite us to take stock of our rights and values in 2025.
Speakers
Jack HANNING – President of the Association of Schools of Political Studies
Oleksandra MATVIICHUK – 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Frédérique BERROD – Presidente of Strasbourg University
Quentin PEEL – Associate Fellow with the Europe Programme at Chatham House
Olga KOSTENKO – President of PromoUkraïna
Armaz AKHVLEDIANI – Director of the Tiblissi School of Political Studies
John GOODMAN – Director of the Syracuse University Center in Strasbourg
Moderator
Fernanda GABRIEL – European Journalist
Links to the videos of the debate :
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHv0GM4v3QM (Part 1)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxIP7Fn450Q (Part 2)
Public Debate 2024 – What future for transatlantic relations in the wake of the American elections?
What will be the consequences for the war in Ukraine and for Europe's security and prosperity? What future for artificial intelligence or green energy? How will Europe react as the USA turns increasingly towards China and the Indio-Pacific region? Will Europe be able to determine its own destiny and defence? This panel discussion organised by the Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe (ASPS) on November 7, 2024, less than 48 hours after the US elections focused on the impact of a crucial vote for Europe and for Western values.
Speakers
Véronique BERTHOLLE (France) – Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg in charge of International Relations
John GOODMAN (United States) – Director, University of Syracuse, Strasbourg
Kirill KOROTEEV (Russia) – Human Rights Lawyer
Nils MUIZNIEKS (Latvia) - former Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner
Charles TANNOCK (United Kingdom) - former MEP
Moderator
Fernanda GABRIEL – Journalist, RTP Portugal
Public Debate 2023 – Is authoritarianism inevitable ?
The present geopolitical context, escalating authoritarianism, democratic back-sliding, increasing flagrant violations of international law and indifference about the most vulnerable in our societies cannot but worry us all! How can one explain and, above all, curb rejection of our values? Why are our governments turning a blind eye to ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and to serial human rights violations in Turkey? Why do they tolerate war crimes which are banned under international humanitarian law? Is authoritarianism, and all that it entails, inevitable? Well, no doubt not if we get our act together!
It is against this background that a panel of five keynote speakers from different European countries opened the public debate organised by the Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe (ASPS) on November 7, 2023.
Speakers
Nils MUIZNIEKS (Latvia) – President of the ASPS, Director for Europe at Amnesty International, former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Michele BELLINI (Italy) – Policy adviser at the Italian Parliament and Founder of the Budapest European Agora
Frédérique BERROD (France) – Jean Monnet Professor of EU law at Science Po Strasbourg
Hanna MACHINSKA (Poland) – Lawyer and social activist speacialising in Human Rights, former Ombudswoman
Mikhail MINAKOV (Ukraine) – Academic, philosopher, political scientist, and historian
Moderator
Jack HANNING (United Kingdom) – Secretary General of the ASPS, former Council of Europe Director of External Relations
Link to the video of the debate : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS2tSrW5uLg
Public Debate 2022 – Can democracy survive?
After three years of respite due to the pandemic, on 8 November 2022, the Association of Schools of Political Studies organised a public debate which took place at the Ecole Régionale des Avocats du Grand-Est (ERAGE), in the side lines of the World Forum of Democracy. The current context, the war in Ukraine, the backsliding of rights and freedoms around the world raised a question about the future of democracy. Thus, for more than two hours, speakers from all over Europe tried to answer the key question of this debate: "Can democracy survive?
Speakers
Nils MUIZNIEKS (Latvia) – President of the ASPS, Director for Europe at Amnesty International, former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Catherine TRAUTMANN (France) – President of Eurimages and formerly Culture Minister, MEP, and Mayor of Strasbourg
Ana GOMES (Portugal) – Diplomat, political commentator, and former MEP
Elena NEMIROVSKAYA (Russia) – Founder and Director of the Moscow School of Political Studies, now relocated to Riga
Mikhail MINAKOV (Ukraine) – Academic, philosopher, political scientist, and historian
Kirill KOROTEEV (Russia) – Lawyer and former Legal Director of the NGO “Memorial”
Quentin PEEL (Royaume-Uni) – Associate Member of the Chatham House Europe Programme and former Financial Times journalist
Moderator
Jack HANNING – Secretary General of the ASPS, former Council of Europe Director of External Relations
Link to the video on our Youtube channel : https://youtu.be/HRbe2FjvZ2A
Public Debate 2019 – Fake News! Fake Democracy? What next?
The Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe hosted its annual public debate on fake news and democracy on 7 November 2019 during the 8th edition of the World Forum for Democracy at the École Régionale des Avocats du Grand Est (ERAGE) in Strasbourg. The flyer can be found here.
Disinformation has always existed but today it spreads like wild fire manipulating democratic processes and fuelling mistrust of the media, politics, experts and much more. Where do you get your information? How can we counter fake news? What should governments be doing? And the media? And what about you?
Speakers
Nils MUIZNIEKS (Latvia) – President of the Association of Schools of Political Studies, Former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (2012-2018)
David BUCHAN (UK) – Former East European, Brussels and Paris correspondent for The Financial Times
Ana GOMES (Portugal) – Diplomat and MEP (2004-2019)
Emir ZULEJHIC (Bosnia-Herzegovina) – Editor of the fact-checking platform Raskrinkavanje
Aleksandr SHMELEV (Russia) – Political scientist, journalist and founder of Sapere.online
Moderator
Jack HANNING (United Kingdom) – Secretary General of the Association of Schools of Political Studies
Public Debate 2018 – Women and men: Fighting together for our values and rights
The 2018 edition of the Public Debate organised by the Association of Schools of Political Studies was hosted by the École Régionale des Avocats du Grand Est (ERAGE) in Strasbourg on 20 November 2018. The flyer can be found here.
European values are increasingly under threat from populist movements and authoritarian nationalist governments which are perverting democracy and the rule of law. Women and men must therefore fight together to protect our basic rights and values which are vital to secure women’s rights, gender equality, etc.
Speakers
Catherine LALUMIERE (France) – President of the Association of Schools of Political Studies (ASPS), Secretary General of the Council of Europe (1989-1994)
Nils MUIZNIEKS (Latvia) – Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (2012-2018)
Malcolm DEAN (UK) – Former deputy editor of the Guardian and researcher at Nuffield College, Oxford
Lena KOLARSKA-BOBINSKA (Poland) – Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education (2013-2015) and former MEP
Olga GULINA (Russia) – Founder and CEO RUSMPI Institute on Migration Policy
Moderator
Jack HANNING – Secretary General of the ASPS
Public Debate 2017 – Populism: A force for good or ill?
Hosted by the École Régionale des Avocats du Grand Est (ERAGE) in Strasbourg, the Association of Schools of Political Studies held a debate on 9 November 2017 entitled "Populism: a force for good or ill?" The flyer can be found here.
Populist parties have cemented their place in the European political spectrum by stressing simplistic versions of reality and the myth of giving power back to the people. Can populism ever have an invigorating effect on democracy? Or is it a force working against the people, destined to undermine the European project and distort the democratic functioning of modern states?
Speakers
Catherine LALUMIERE (France) – President of the Association of Schools of Political Studies and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Ana GOMES (Portugal) – Member of the European Parliament
Krzysztof BOBINSKI (Poland) – President of the Unia & Polska Foundation
Emil PAIN (Russia) – Professor of Economics, National Research University in Moscow
Quentin PEEL (United Kingdom) – Associate fellow of the Europe Programme at Chatham House
Moderator
Fernanda GABRIEL (Portugal) – Radio-Televisão Portuguesa
Following the presentations by our five speakers on the situation of populism in their own countries, the debate was opened up to the audience and a lively discussion ensued. Topics included the question of whether populism can be defined and understood in the same way in "old" or western democracies and "new" or post-Soviet democracies. In addition, in countries which are not pluralist democracies at all, can populism even be said to exist at all? On the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, some parallels were made between the populism of the late 1980s which arguably had a positive impact, leading the fall of many communist regimes across Europe, and the more ambiguous form of populism taking hold today.
Public Debate 2016 – Democracy and Populism
On 8 November 2016 in the city centre of Strasbourg, the Association of Schools of Political Studies held a public debate on the question of populism and democracy. It was held in the École Régionale des Avocats du Grand Est (ERAGE) with support from the City of Strasbourg.
Fuelled by simplistic lies, misrepresentation and rabble-rousing rhetoric based on the myth of giving power back to the people, populism is increasingly colouring public debate and threatening democracy in Europe and beyond. From Trump to Putin and from Brexit to Beppe Grillo, what exactly do we mean by “populism”?
Speakers
David BUCHAN (United Kingdom) – Former director of office at Financial Times in Paris and Brussels
Andrzej KRAJEWSKI (Poland) – Journalist et broadcasting regulator (KRRiT)
Alberto TOSCANO (Italy) – Journalist and academic
Chair
Catherine LALUMIERE (France) – President of the Association of Schools of Political Studies and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe
The debate was interpreted from and into English, French and Russian, allowing a lively exchange between speakers and participants. Discussions focused particularly on the following questions: Is populism an inevitable consequence of pluralism or just a temporary disease affecting democracy? What can be done to counter populist discourse and disinformation? How have the stigmatisation of refugees, negative stereotyping of migrants and trivialisation of racism and xenophobia contributed to populism?
