10 May | Thursday | 18:30 |debate | Red hall | free entrance

In February 2018, MEPs urged Turkey to lift the state of emergency and condemned the military offensive in Syria. The position came after a series of warnings of freezing and even ending membership talks. Despite calls that funding for Turkey be tied to improvements in human rights, the EU made its financial contribution to the refugee agreement. What is the place of human rights in EU-Turkey relations and to what extent are they becoming a trade-off?

With the participation of: students, Bulgarian experts, researchers and journalists.
With the special participation of: Svetoslav Malinov, Member of the European Parliament
Moderator: Irina Nedeva, Bulgarian National Radio.

More about the participants

Svetoslav Malinov, Member of the European Parliament from the group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) since 2009. In 2014 he joined the European Parliament with a preferential vote. He is a member of the Committee on Culture and Education, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on Petitions and the Delegation for Relations with the Arabian Peninsula. Malinov is a political scientist and a lecture in political science at Sofia University. He is one of the founders of the party Democrats for Strong Bulgaria and was a member of the National Assembly from 2005 to 2009.

Louisa Slavkova is the Executive Director of the Sofia Platform. She was a political adviser to the interim Bulgarian minister of environment in 2013 and served as an adviser to the former minister of foreign affairs Nickolay Mladenov in the period 2010 – 2013. Prior to that, Louisa worked with the German Federal Agency for Civic Education.

Tayfur Hussein is the deputy editor-in-chief of the online media obzornews.bg (in Bulgarian) and a member of the Association of European Journalists - Bulgaria (AEJ).

More about the project

TEDEP (Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament) is a Red House project in partnership with the Bulgarian Debate Association, the European Time to Talk debate network, the Belgian debating organization Deburen and the Serbian Centre for Cultural Decontamination. Important EU topics will be debated in a variety of contexts within the project, whic include a variety of perspectives - from regional youth debates to national and trans-European ones. The project is implemented with the support of the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the events.

21 May| Monday | 18:30 | debate | Bg | Pesha Nikolova | free entrance

The issue of fake news, new propaganda and information wars is at the centre of heated debates, scandals and attempts for institutional solutions. The Cambridge Analytica case and the sale of psychological profiles only deepened the growing concerns. What can institutions, media, online platforms, advertisers and consumers do to counteract the cultural and information wars?

With the participation of: Andrey Kovachev (MEP, European People's Party); Irina Nedeva (coordinator of the 20 national sections of the International Association of European Journalists on the strategy against fake news); Marin Lessenski, programme director of the European Policies and Civic Participation Programme and programme manager of EuPI – the European Policies Initiative of Open Society Institute –-Sofia; Dimitar Ganchev, co-founder of Internet Society – Bulgaria.

Moderator: Ilia Valkov, Sega newspaper.

More about the project
TEDEP (Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament) is a Red House project in partnership with the Bulgarian Debate Association, the European Time to Talk debate network, the Belgian debating organization Deburen and the Serbian Centre for Cultural Decontamination. Important EU topics will be debated in a variety of contexts within the project, whic include a variety of perspectives - from regional youth debates to national and trans-European ones. The project is implemented with the support of the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the events.

20 May |Sunday |10:00-16:00 |debates | Red hall | free entrance

The Bulgarian Debate Association and The Red House, with the support of the European Parliament, are organizing a two-day student debate tournament in Sofia on European topics. The tournament final round, which starts on 20 May at 10:00, is open to the public.

More about the project
TEDEP (Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament) is a Red House project in partnership with the Bulgarian Debate Association, the European Time to Talk debate network, the Belgian debating organization Deburen and the Serbian Centre for Cultural Decontamination. Important EU topics will be debated in a variety of contexts within the project, whic include a variety of perspectives - from regional youth debates to national and trans-European ones. The project is implemented with the support of the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the events.

22 April | Sunday | 12:00 | lecture and debate | bg | Burgas | Free entrance

In June 2017, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the Commission to thoroughly analyze the current situation and legal framework on fake news and examine the possibility of legislative intervention to limit the distribution of fake content. The Commission has confirmed that this is its priority and has included the initiative for fighting fake news initiative in its 2018 work programme.

Meanwhile, Germany has passed a law under which social networks will be penalized if they do not remove content like fake news or hate speech in time. Germany has thus begun legislative action by declaring that the responsibility for spreading fake news rests entirely on online platforms. According to the law, social networks will have a total of 24 hours to erase and block acute criminal content and seven days for lighter cases and will have to report all cases to the government. If this does not happen, the companies may be fined up to 50 million euros and the directors of the companies in Germany – up to 5 million euros.

Should the European Commission adopt the German model and look for accountability for the spread of fake news in social networks primarily? Students from The Burgas Debate Club will try to find answer this question in an argumented debate.

Programme

12:00 – 12:15 | Theodor Stoychev, Head of the European Parliament Information Office in Bulgaria | Positions of the European Parliament on the Fight Against Fake News

12:15 – 12:30 | Konstantin Pavlov-Komitata: Fake News – The Possible Answers on a European Level?

12:30 – 13:30 | Student debate

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More about the project
TEDEP (Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament) is a Red House project in partnership with the Bulgarian Debate Association, the European Time to Talk debate network, the Belgian debating organization Deburen and the Serbian Centre for Cultural Decontamination. Important EU topics will be debated in a variety of contexts within the project, whic include a variety of perspectives - from regional youth debates to national and trans-European ones. The project is implemented with the support of the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the events.

18 March | student debate | 13:00 | Bg | Free entrance
Vocational High School of Tourism, town of Samokov

What are the alternatives to tourism development in the European Union? Is the choice of sustainable development for the regions going to bring about the end of mass tourism? Why are the citizens of Barcelona protesting against tourism? Some possible answers will be given by students from the Vocational High School of Tourism, Samokov.

About the project

TEDEP (Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament) is a Red House project in partnership with the youth Debates Association, the European Time to Talk debate network, the Belgian debating organization Deburen and the Serbian Centre for Cultural Decontamination. Important EU topics will be debated in a variety of contexts within the project, whic include a variety of perspectives - from regional youth debates to national and trans-European ones. The project is implemented with the support of the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the events.

About the Debate Association
The Debate Association is a non-governmental organization working for the development and popularization of debates among young people in Bulgaria. Its activities reach over 700 young people annually who participate in training, as well as in national and international debate tournaments.

13 March | Tuesday | debate | 18:30 | Bg | Red hall | Free entrance

On the day the government decided to withdraw its decision to ratify the Istanbul Convention, a young woman found her death in her home and her partner was detained. Paradoxically, while the Convention was being discussed, media and politicians managed to shift the public's attention from the problem it seeks to tackle - violence against women and violence at home. Paradoxically, the subject resurfaced with the murder in Lyulin Living Quarter of an elderly man and the children held in social isolation. We also remember the murder of Elena Vassileva by her partner who shot her despite the dozens of complaints of harassment. Is the country really deaf to violence in the family and at home, or is there a deficit in institutional reaction and prevention mechanisms? What can help police work more effectively? Why do people who witness violence in the family not interfere? What can the government, institutions, the media and civil society do to raise public intolerance to violence? How does the existing legislation help tackle the problem? What are the measures and activities that need to be developed? What are the institutions *beyond the* Istanbul Convention doing and what can they do? How do we get out of the vicious circle of violence that causes violence?

A conversation between experts, representatives of the institutions and victims of domestic violence with the participation of Katya Krastanova, Animus Association, Galina Lacheva, victim, Yana Tavanie, Fine Acts, and Maxim Stoimenov. An invitation has been sent to the Ministry of Interior for a representative.

Moderator: Irina Nedeva
Photo: Nikolay Doychinov, Dnevnik

More on the series "Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament"
TEDEP ("Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament") is a Red House project in partnership with the Bulgarian Debate Association, the Europe-wide Time to Talk debate network, the Belgian debating organization "Deburen" and the Serbian Centre for Cultural Decontamination. Important EU topics are debated within the project in a variety of contexts and from a variety of perspectives – regional, national, trans-European and youth points of view are all considered. The project is implemented with the support of the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the events.

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Reservations: you can reserve a seat by calling 02/988 8188, 0885 828 532 or e-mailing [email protected]. Reservations are valid up to 15 minutes before the start of the event.

Starting in 2018, the symbolic ticket for every free event entitles you to a free glass of wine at the Red Point Bistro if you choose to dine there. If the event is paid, you will receive a 10% discount on your orders at the venue. Keep your tickets!

student debate and lecture | 11 Febr. | Sunday | 13:30
Thracian University, Stara Zagora | Free entrance

Can shared economy provide alternative employment for European citizens, or is it a threat to regular business? This topic will be debated by students from the debate clubs in Stara Zagora. The debate will open with a lecture by Todor Yalamov, associate professor at the Faculty of Economics, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski".

In 2016, the European Commission declared its support for the so-called "economy of co-operation." It advised Member States not to forbid or hinder it with over-regulation. "The next economic miracle in Europe can be born in the context of shared economy. Our role is to encourage regulations that help the development of new business models while protecting consumers and guaranteeing fair taxation and working conditions," said Commission Vice-President Ikari Katyanen. In 2017, however, the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber's car reservation service is in the transport sector and therefore EU countries can regulate the conditions for its provision. The Court stated that, as follows from EU legislation , Member States must regulate the conditions under which such services are provided, in accordance with the general rules of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, so that the question of shared economy is once again at a crossroads. Student debaters will counterpose the main arguments for and against the development of shared economy in the European Union.

The debate is part of the TEDEP (Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament) project, which is supported by the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the event.

About the lecturer
Todor Yalamov is the author of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) chapter in the Annual Report "Innovations.BG" of the Applied Research and Communications Foundation. He explores the use and impact of ICT on business, teaches e-business at Sofia University and has experience in supporting business incubators and entrepreneurship in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

About the project
TEDEP (Trans-European Debates on the European Parliament) is a Red House project in partnership with the youth Debates Association, the European Time to Talk debate network, the Belgian debating organization Deburen and the Serbian Centre for Cultural Decontamination. Important EU topics will be debated in a variety of contexts within the project, whic include a variety of perspectives - from regional youth debates to national and trans-European ones. The project is implemented with the support of the European Parliament (EP). The EP is not responsible for the theses, comments and opinions expressed during the events.

About the Debate Association
The Debate Association is a non-governmental organization working for the development and popularization of debates among young people in Bulgaria. Its activities reach over 700 young people annually who participate in training, as well as national and international debate tournaments.