12th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON "THE EUROPEAN UNION, TURKEY AND THE KURDS"

OLD CRISIS ­ NEW SOLUTIONS

Brussels, European Parliament, 26­27 January 2016

Interpretation available in English, French, German, Dutch, Farsi, Turkish, Spanish

(Kurmancî interpretation still to be checked)

PATRONS

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, South Africa

Dr. Shirin Ebadi

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran

Bianca Jagger

Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador

Chair of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation, UK

Professor Noam Chomsky

Writer, USA

Vedat Turkali

Writer, Turkey

Leyla Zana

European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey

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An official “European Parliament personal badge / pass” will be provided to all participants to the Conference.

All participants MUST communicate by email to the following information:

brusselsconferenceep@gmail.com

  1. Name and surname

  2. Date of birth

  3. Place and country of residence (if possible, the full address of residence)

  4. Number of a valid document (ex: passport, national ID, etc…)

This information must be sent to the above­mentioned mail before 17th January 2016 Please note that NO ACCREDITATION will be accepted after this deadline, according to the rules established by the Security Department of the European Parliament.

Your “personal badge / pass” will be available at the main entrance of the European Parliament (Place de Luxembourg ­ main European Parliament’s building “Altiero Spinelli” ­ just after the sliding doors you’ll find a conference desk), during AND ONLY the following date 26 January 2016/ hours 08­08.30.

Please note that all participants must take care of their own “EP badge / pass” during both days; if someone lose the “pass / badge” it will be impossible for the conference’s organizers to replace it, according to the E.P. internal rules.

For any additional information, please contact the EUTCC conference’s secretariat:

brusselsconferenceep@gmail.com

OPENING REMARKS AND GREETINGS

    • Prof. Kariane WESTRHEIM, Chair of EUTCC, Professor, University of Bergen, Norway

    • MEP Gabi ZIMMER, Chair of the European United Left ­ Nordic Green Left Group (GUE/NGL)

OPENING SPEECHES AND SPECIAL REMARKS BY

    • Mr. Martin SCHULZ, President of the European Parliament (TBC)

    • Mr. Jose Ramos­HORTA, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, East­Timor

    • Dr. Shirin EBADI, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Iran

    • Ms. Leyla ZANA, European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, Rafto Prize Laureate, Turkey

The role of western powers – engaging constructively

    • Mr. Peter GALBRAITH, Former Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, US

Turkey’s elections results and the impact for the region and the EU

    • Mr. Cengiz CANDAR, Journalist, Turkey

Contestation of strategies

    • Mr. Tarhan ERDEM, KONDA Research and Consultancy and Journalist. Turkey

The EU accession process: still a political lever?

  • Ms. Bodil VALERO, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, Sweden (TBC)

For an effective and sustainable Kurdish peace process (Qualification of the ongoing War in Turkey­Kurdistan)

  • Prof. Susan BREAU, University of Reading, Expert on Legal Skills, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, International Humanitarian Law

The search for a new political settlement

  • Mr. Selahattin DEMIRTAS, Co­President of HDP

Questions and discussion with moderators & discussants

Beyond resistance – building the future

  • Prof. Joost Jongerden, Wageningen University, the Netherlands (TBD)

What’s new in the crisis?

  • Mr. Patrick COCKBURN, Journalist, UK (TBC) OR J. Fischer, former Minister, Germany (TBC)

Pre­ and Post Kobane and the way for stability

  • Mr. Salih MUSLIM, Co­President of PYD, Kurdistan­Syria

What role for the US, EU and Russia?

  • Mr. Michael WERZ, Center for American Progress, US

The Kurdish Diaspora as a political force

  • Dr. Bahar BASER, Research Fellow, Coventry University, UK

Self­Governance and De­centralisation

  • Ms. Selma IRMAK, Co­President of DTK, Turkey

The EU Role for a possible Peace Process (removing an obstacle to the peace process)

  • MEP, Josef WEIDENHOLZER, Vice­President of the S/D Group in EP, MEP,

Questions and discussion with moderators & discussants

Shifting ground – the new strategies and tactics

  • Lord Hylton, House of Lords, UK (TBD)

What’s new in the crisis?

  • Mr. Reimer Herman, Journalist, Germany, (TBC)

The prosecution of legitimate freedom of expression

  • Prof. David ROMANO, Middle East Politics, Missouri State University, Department of Political Science, US

Turkish Media and Kurdish Problem

  • Mr. Ragip DURAN, Journalist, Turkey

The leading role of women in civil society and politics

  • Ms. Yüksel GENC, Turkey

Agenda for change: expectations and alternatives

  • Mr./Ms…..KNK representative

Questions and discussion with moderators & discussants

BY EUTCC BOARD MEMBERS

Dr. Dersim DAGDEVIRAN, KURD­AKAD, Germany

Prof. Joost JONGERDEN, Wageningen University, the Netherlands Prof. Michael GUNTER, Tennessee Technological University, US Prof. Kariane WESTRHEIM, University of Bergen, Norway