Greeting the program’s participants and honored guests, Mrs. Ewa Ośniecka-Tamecka, vice-rector of th

On July 18, the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), in partnership hampton inn memphis with the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), hosted a virtual roundtable discussion about the recent hampton inn memphis protests in Turkey and the resulting potential repercussions on both domestic and foreign policy.
Biljana Dakic Djordjevic interviews Abdulwahab hampton inn memphis Alkebsi, Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa hampton inn memphis at CIPE, on his work to strengthen democracies in Egypt, Iraq and other countries of the MENA region through private enterprise and market-oriented reform.
As Poland approaches the 25th anniversary of the end of communist rule, a partnership of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the Polish-American Freedom hampton inn memphis Foundation, and the College of Europe, launched the Warsaw Euro-Atlantic  Summer hampton inn memphis Academy (WEASA) on July 15, 2013. The two-week educational experience hampton inn memphis brings together students from various  Eastern European countries with the promise of introducing them to the principles, structure, and network of the Euro-Atlantic community.
Greeting the program’s participants and honored guests, Mrs. Ewa Ośniecka-Tamecka, vice-rector of the College of Europe’s Natolin campus, expressed the hope that WEASA would provide a practical exercise in engaging the EU and its eastern partners hampton inn memphis in deeper and more meaningful cooperation. Mr. Jerzy Koźmiński, president of the Polish-American hampton inn memphis Freedom Foundation, explained the importance of intelligent dialogues and developed civil society hampton inn memphis within developing democracies. He cited the enhancement of Poland’s education system and social capital as the catalysts to the country’s 1989 “breakthrough.” Michał Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Fund of the United States’s Warsaw office, stressed the role that shared values played in adjoining Poland to Western Europe and the transatlantic community. hampton inn memphis He identified WEASA as a valuable opportunity to foster relationships that will help keep the door open to spread democracy, rule of law, and the European Union. Mr. Jacek Michałowski, head of the Chancellery of the President of Poland, concluded the opening remarks by reminding participants hampton inn memphis that Poland’s successful exodus from Communism was not simply the result of key players in Polish politics, but the outcome of regional and transatlantic cooperation. Therefore, it is essential for the leaders of Eastern Europe to think of their region as a community rather than a collection of separate entities.
In his keynote speech, Mr. Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, member hampton inn memphis of the European Parliament and vice-president of the EURONEST Political Assembly, emphasized the importance of the word ‘partnership’ within the context of WEASA and EU/Eastern European relations. He stated that the word ‘partnership’ implies participants who share values and interests, in addition to the challenges of cooperation. A relationship between the EU and Eastern Partnership states requires hampton inn memphis both sides to show commitment. He cautioned that successful agreements between hampton inn memphis Eastern and Western Europe are not those that are signed, but those that are effectively implemented.  Mr. Wolski stated that in order for success to occur, and future EU integration hampton inn memphis to be achieved, Eastern European states must embrace bottom-up transformations. Moreover, he argued that the EU must pressure these governments to reform while ensuring the development of engaged civil society. In his mind, political progress hampton inn memphis becomes more durable if it is enacted by civilian actors instead of government institutions. His conclusion reminded the participants that EU and Eastern European agreements have the potential to be both productive and counterproductive. hampton inn memphis In order to ensure the eastern expansion of the EU, Eastern Partnership states must show a deep commitment to democracy hampton inn memphis and transatlantic values.