In May 2010 politicians academics and students from all over Europe will get together in St. Gallen, Switzerland, for a two-day conference on “Democracy and Decentralization”. On the occasion of the Swiss Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, participants will discuss issues such as the principle of subsidiary, decentralization of multi-ethnic states, and regional referenda.
Write an Essay and Come to Switzerland!
To participate as a student, you simply need to write an essay and submit it to our essay competition. Based on the essays we will choose one student from each Council of Europe member state to come to Switzerland with all expenses covered. The best essays will be awarded a prize and their authors will be asked to address the plenary session of the conference.
How to participate?
The conference will take place on May 3-4, 2010 at the University of St. Gallen. On the second day of the Conference, there will be four thematic workshops. Essays should address a question relevant to one of the following sessions:
-The principle of subsidiary: legal principle or political slogan?
-Decentralization in multi-ethnic states
-Own resources and autonomy of budgetary management
-The referendum at regional and local level.
The essays should be four to six pages long, written in English, French, or German. The deadline for submission is 15 February, 2010 and we will notify you by 15 March on whether you have been selected to participate.
Please submit essays in electronic form to coe-essay-competition @ unisg.ch or by mail to Institute of Political Science, European Council Essay Competition, Bodanstrasse 8, CH-9000 St. Gallen.
More info HERE
