GLOBAL PANEL
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ADDRESS
22nd: Holiday Inn, Brno
23rd: Cernin Palace, Prague
PROGRAM
Thursday April 22nd
11.00 – 13.30 Transportation from Prague to Brno
13.30 – 15.30 Buffet Lunch
15.30 – 16.30 Panel I
16.30 – 17.00 Coffee Break
17.00 – 18.00 Panel II
18.00 – 20.00 Reception
20.00 – 22.30 Transportation from Brno to PragueFriday April 23rd
09.00 -10.30 Closed Session I / Open Session I
10.30 -10.45 Coffee Break
10.45 - 12.15 Closed Session I (cont) / Open Session I (cont)
12.15- 13.15 Lunch
13.30- 15.00 Closed Session II / Open Session II (cont)
15.00- 15.15 Coffee Break
15.15 - 16.45 Closed Session II (cont) / Open Session II (cont)
17.30 - 19.30 Closing Reception
Further Description
Overview
With the EU constitution edging towards a conclusion the question remains “Must EU member states sometimes sacrifice their national interest for the greater good of Europe?” Do those sacrifices mean turning their backs on deeply embedded cultural values? Or can compromises be reached that respect the cultural integrity of the various European states? Can a network of intrinsically different cultures be governed by one constitution? Is the EU a viable entity at all?
Under the umbrella concept of Transatlantic Drift The Global Panel Foundation, The Prague Society for International Cooperation and the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) will bring together panelists from various European countries and the United States to discuss and debate the issues of, and relationships between, law and society.
Topics
What will the civil society consequences be for nations whose eyes will be turned towards the European Union’s constitutional court in Brussels? While the EU creates amendments that will govern the Union as a united body, can the individual member states still maintain a sense of cultural identity without succumbing to more aggressive nationalistic tendencies?
The United States has the oldest written constitution in world but do different factions or groups within the United States all agree with the original amendments set down more than two hundred years ago? Has that constitution united or separated the different ethnic and cultural groups that live in the United States?
What can Europe learn from the U.S. with regard to Federal vs. State law? What can the U.S. learn about how culture still defines separate European countries? Will this ultimately affect their decisions in regards to international security, trade and the environment?
Planned Program
The events will take place over two days and will be comprised of a formal debate at the Brno Trade Fair with the Rt. Hon. Vladimír Špidla, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on Day 1 and a closed session for European and American policy makers and government officials on Day 2. The closed session on day two will be followed by a reception with Guest of Honor the Rt. Hon. Cyril Svoboda, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic.