Programme

11.45 Registration

12:00 Welcome

Dr. Nele Fabian, Senior European Affairs Manager, European Dialogue, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

Panel Discussion

Katalin Cseh MEP, Renew Europe Group

Jan-Christoph Oetjen MEP (tbc), Renew Europe Group

Andreas Johansson Heinö, Editor, Authoritarian Populism Index/ Publishing Director, Timbro

Casper de Boer (tbc), Policy Assistant, European Commission

Moderator: Adam Bartha, Director, EPiCENTER

13.00 Q&A

13.15 Lunch & Networking
 

Register Now

Please register by 15 April, 2024 here.

About the Event

EPiCENTER and the European Dialogue programme of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom are delighted to invite you to the launch of the Authoritarian Populism Index to discuss the challenges facing liberal democracies and the rule of law in Europe. The event will reveal the latest edition of Timbro's Authoritarian Populism Index, which assesses political trends of all European democracies since 1980 and outlines the experiences of countries run by authoritarian populists.

The Timbro Authoritarian Populism Index (TAP) shows that today, one in four European voters cast their vote for an authoritarian populist party, which is more than twice compared to the early 2000s. At the same time, electoral support for liberal parties has also reached an all-time high, following a consistent pattern of growth since 2010.

Looking ahead to the European elections in May, it is essential to understand trends in electoral behaviour and prepare the EU's institutional set-up so that it can endure the rise of authoritarian populists in Brussels.

This event will present key results of the Authoritarian Populism Index and invites you to jointly discuss (among many other possible questions): how the European Commission's rule of law mechanism has performed over the last mandate; whether certain EU policies have contributed to the rise of populism and the slow erosion of centrist forces on the left and right in Europe; what new political ideas and communication methods could provide satisfactory answers for the concerns of the European electorate; how countries with authoritarian populist governance compare to their counterparts; what successful mechanisms can ensure that liberal democratic principles remain intact.