We invite you to an online panel discussion inspired by the short movie When we were them, made by an Oscar-winning BiH director Danis Tanović and a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Damir Šagolj.

The 8-minute documentary shows the inhumanity and brutality people on the move face on a daily basis at Europe’s doorstep. Surrounded by minefields and destruction from the Bosnian war, thousands of migrants are still stranded in the northern part of the war-torn country. Heart-breaking scenes leave us questioning human nature and the consequences of the armed conflicts. Terrifying images are also coming from the Polish-Belarusian border where we can witness cruel reality and uncertainty faced by the people in need. Today they are part of more than 80 million forcibly displaced people around the world in search of peace and survival.

Borders have never stopped people from moving. New humanitarian crisis erupt more and more often. Following the 2015 migration flows to Europe the main flaws of the EU’s asylum and migration system were exposed. There has been some progress made since then but much more effort and political will is needed for fairer and more effective system, that is based on solidarity.

Regardless of the laws and policies, the perception of migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, caused by fear, unawareness and lack of information, divides the societies all over the world. The main purpose of the event is to discuss the stories behind the labels given to the people on the move and in need, to address the challenges faced by the Member States and the role of the European institutions in the field of migration and asylum policies.

Our panellists:
– Damir Šagolj, Director of the movie, photojournalist and Pulitzer prize winner;
– Tom Snels, Deputy Head of Cabinet to Commissioner for Home affairs Ylva Johannson;
– Esther Pozo Vera, Head of Asylum Unit at DG HOME;
– Katarzyna Staszewska, Activist from the NGO Grupa Granica working on the Polish-Belarusian border;
– Sabiha Kapetanović, Child Protection Programme Coordinator at Save the Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Please register here: https://bit.ly/3rvrf9Y

Please note that the movie will not be screened during the event.
The link to watch the documentary will be sent to you after the registration.

On 04 December 2020 from 09:00 to 11:00, the first public event of the Cultural Creators Friendship Group (CCFG) gets live and online. The Members of the CCFG will present themselves, explain what the CCFG is and does, and discuss the current situation of cultural creators in the EU. We are especially delighted to have Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Culture and Education, with us.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already resulted in crucial economic and political changes globally. In the emergency situations, extraordinary measures by governments can be necessary, but democratic institutions and minority rights must be respected. Beyond the national level, in the European Union the coronavirus could cause a backsliding in integration as borders are closed, the movement of persons is restricted and distrust in international organisations might grow. Nevertheless, citizens in populist regimes are witnessing how the constricted public sphere and crooked governance leads to policy failures. Also, the need for international cooperation when challenging global risks might give a new momentum for the European integration.

In our conference we wish to introduce how central European countries coped with the first wave of the pandemic and what the governments intend to do when dealing with the second wave. We will also discuss how the European Union can help the region and the importance of local communities and municipal governments during the pandemic.