Democracy
Introduction
We perceive of democracy as a socio-political process driven by citizens' active participation and democratic institutions. "It is apt to say that the term 'democratisation' epitomises the most universal socio-political imperative of our age" (Hennis 1970).
Democratisation is a chief tenet of green politics and a central issue in political education. Still it is often far from clear how to translate the general notion of democratisation into concrete projects, campaigns, or educational programmes. "Civil society" is one such concept which, while widely embraced, is very contentious when it comes to questions of implementation. Other such issues are the crisis of party democracy, the media and democracy, as well as numerous fundamental questions surrounding the relationship between politics and science. All of these are part of the foundation's activities. A further focus of our work are programmes that tackle far-right politics and racism. For us political education means getting people involved, empowering people to participate in political processes, and advising political activists.
Concerning the EU and European policy, our focus is mainly on the following areas: Democracy and participation in the European Union; ecology and sustainable development; EU enlargement; a common European foreign and security policy; and the future of labour and social policy.
Democracy
Enfant terrible of the Eurozone - Why did Slovakia refuse to bail out Greece?
August 31, 2010 -

Shortly after a new ruling coalition formed Slovakia’s new center-right government, a small shock wave rolled through Europe. First the Slovak government and then parliament voted to withhold Slovakia’s share of a European bailout loan for Greece’s embattled economy. Not that Slovakia’s minute share of the package would mean a lot for the eurozone – the decision’s importance lay in its symbolism and, therefore, in politics.

 Juraj Mesík more»
Electing a new President for Germany – July 4, 2010 -

Politicians in Germany were facing the task of finding a new Federal President at a time where many citizens are loosing trust in the country’s leadership. According to various observers, the governing coalition desired a President who would not cause additional discussions and who would be acceptable to many of its supporters, in order to demonstrate unity.

Lisa Reichmann more»
The Election is Over – What is Ahead for Slovakia? –

In the second of his analysis of the Slovak parliamentary election Juraj Mesík gives his assesment of the results and their impacts on the Slovak politics. In early July 2010 we still can hope for better though only time will show whether the new elite will change the corrupt and intransparent way of Slovak policy-making. In the previous article, also available here, he assesed the pre-election debate.

 

 

 

Juraj Mesík more»
The role of the Parliament in the EU's Human Rights Policy –
With the Lisbon Treaty coming into force, Parliament's role is key. But is the EP well prepared for the new task? Barbara Lochbihler, MEP for the Green party and the former director of the German branch of "Amnesty International", comments in detail on the stronger and weaker spots of the EP's policy. 
Gender Politics Makes a Difference - Experiences Across the World – April 29, 2010 - Politics can only succeed when it is inclusive of all genders. Gender justice is an ambitious goal, one that the Heinrich Böll Foundation is pursuing together with many different allies worldwide. This publication gives an overview of their work. click the link below»
Beijing +15 process review – March 12, 2010 - The Fourth World Conference on Women produced the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), a comprehensive women’s human rights paradigm that envisioned the transformation of power relations. After 15 years the implementation seems to get stuck. click link below to read more»
The History and Memory of Communism in the Czech Republic – March 9, 2010 - The Czech reflection on communism is still undertaken in peculiar waves even twenty years after its fall. Indifference and extreme anti-communism with the accompanying desire to name and marginalise the culprits of past evils regularly alternate or supplement one another. Cleansing society of representatives of the past regime and understanding the past are two different things which are only loosely connected. It is a bit late for the former, while most of the latter still lies ahead. Michal Kopeček a Matěj Spurný more»
Czech EU Presidency – a Missed Opportunity – October 19, 2009 - When evaluating the Czech EU presidency, the first question we need to deal with is what we might expect from a successful presidency. Mats Braun more»
Waiting for Vaclav Klaus – Even following the unequivocal Irish “Yes” to the EU reform agreement, the European Union still cannot heave a sigh of relief. After the Polish President, Lech Kaczynski signed the agreement on 10 October, the European Union is at present only waiting for his Czech opposite number, Vaclav Klaus.    Eva van de Rakt More articles»
TWENTY YEARS AFTER: POST-COMMUNIST COUNTRIES AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION – September 6, 2009 - In the words of the Polish journalist and dissident, Adam Michnik, 1989 was Europe’s annus mirabilis. The peaceful revolution of that year was a miracle effected by the people in central and eastern Europe. Hardly any one (and certainly no western head of state or politician) had foreseen that a popular movement active in different countries would, in just a few months, topple socialist regimes and force the mighty Soviet Union to retreat behind the borders of Russia. more»
Publication
Polish Shades of Green – July 27, 2009 - The publication of the European Green Foundation attempts to find answers for the question about the future of Green politics in Poland. The publication stems from the research ordered in 2008 by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and coordinated by Przemysław Sadura. The research concerned the prevailing reception of Green ideas and perception of Green political powers by the Polish society. On its bases, the Author analysed the Greens’ chances of finding a permanent place on the Polish political scene. more»
The Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU – In January 2009 the Czech Republic assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Presidency provides the Czech Republic with a unique opportunity to influence the agenda of the EU for six months. The full Dossier is available here»
Contemporary History
Heinrich Böll's estate in Cologne - After the collapse of the Historical Archive of Cologne
April 17, 2009 - On March 3, 2009, the building at Severinstraße 222 in Cologne that housed the Historical Archive collapsed. The Historical Archive of Cologne is the largest municipal archive in Germany. Alongside official documents, maps and blueprints it also housed the private estates of around 700 musicians and artists, master builders and architects of the cathedral, Cologne authors (Irmgard Keun, Paul Schallück, Hans Mayer, Hans Bender, Dieter Wellershoff) and also Heinrich Böll. Jochen Schubert and Markus Schäfer more»
Contemporary History
1989-2009: 20 Years after November 89
Internetdossier commemorates the 20th anniversary of democratic changes in the Central and Eastern Europe by presenting the views on the topic from the Czech and Slovak civil society's authors. more»
Book
Petra Kelly. A Remembrance. – March 29, 2009 - She was one of the best known personalities during the 1980s; an icon of the global ban-the-bomb and peace movements and a protagonist for ecology and human rights. But all this is not just history - it is worth reflecting on what has remained valuable until the present day. Extracts from original texts, six essays on her life and work and many photographs trace the most important stations in her life. more»