Democracy

The once lively scene of local and national Ukrainian media is threatened by the brutal Russian invasion and occupation. War has changed the work of journalists and media business models are under threat.

The media systems of Europe are facing challenges from multiple directions. Elda Brogi explains the European approach to tackle them.

Free press and a diverse media landscape are a cornerstone in any democratic society. Traditionally, the Heinrich Böll Foundation has supported independent journalism through a variety of programs, including fellowship opportunities. The Transatlantic Media Fellowship, that supports well-researched transatlantic journalism, is one of them. After a two-year pandemic break, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw will in 2023 again support a selected number of journalists for an independent minimum five-day transatlantic trip to research stories relevant to the Foundation’s work.

According to the European Agency for Fundamental Rights data, Roma are the most persecuted minority in Europe. During the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, the international organization Minority Rights Group (MRG), operating in Ukraine, alarmed that human rights violations against Roma and Roma women have significantly increased since the beginning of Russian aggression.

The University of Rzeszów, Universität Leipzig and the Warsaw Office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation are pleased to invite young researchers interested in the broadly understood issue of citizenship to participate in this year's edition of the Young Researchers Summer School, which will take place on July 3-9, 2022 in Rzeszów. Applications will be accepted until May 30, 2022.

On 10 March 2022, the politicised Constitutional Tribunal (CT) ruled that Article 6(1) of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which guarantees everyone the right to a fair trial, is incompatible with the Polish Constitution.

In the pandemic year 2021, Germany has voted. It is already clear that what is needed is a new political culture of enablement and participation. Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung President Dr. Ellen Ueberschär comments on the results of the German federal elections.

This short sentence is all you need to understand why the German government committed an error of judgment concerning Afghanistan. An error of judgment that kills people every day – and democracy throughout the world as well, by the way.

On September 8, 2020, the fourth and last Internet debate took place as part of the project "Ost / East: Polish-German debates about the East". This time the focus of the discussion was on the influence of Russia and China in the region, their cooperation and competition and its impact on the relations of the European Union with the region.