Dialogue Programme Brussels (DPB)

Brussels, Belgium

European Parliament, Brussels

Since 1985, the DPB has been managed from the Belgian capital, the centre of European politics. The office is located in close proximity to important European institutions such as the Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the Commission.

The main focus of attention for the DPB lies in promoting the North-South and East-West dialogue. The event programmes concentrate on topics which are significant in designing liberal politics, such as human rights, civil society, market economy, free trade and the environment.

The DPB provides a renowned forum, particularly for multipliers from developing and transition countries, to develop politically timely and solution-oriented approaches in collaboration with members of the European Parliament, representatives of the Council of Ministers and the European Commission, as well as NATO decision-makers. Expert speakers from non-governmental organisations, European umbrella organisations and think tanks are regularly invited to participate in these discussions.

Apart from several events in Brussels, the DPB organises specific activities in Strasbourg in cooperation with the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as in Geneva in collaboration with the World Trade Organization and the UN organisations.

Part of the DPB is the EU Liaison Unit. This unit seeks co-financing opportunities from the European Commission in order to acquire additional funding for projects of the Foundation worldwide. The unit also guides the individual project offices in the application process, in concluding the contract and in compiling the end report.

In order to continuously expand the forum for the exchange of ideas and to extend the global liberal networks, the DPB also organises numer-ous presentation and discussion events for the specialist audience in Brussels. They, too, focus on current political topics and liberal political approaches.

Conference participants in the Theodor Heuss room of the Dialogue Programme Brussels

Activities
Design, organisation and evaluation of
• seminars, conferences, and information and study programmes
• preparatory programmes for employees of the Foundation who will be sent abroad
• workshops and roundtable discussions with speakers from the global liberal partners network
as well as
• attending to leading figures from politics and society
• observing EU budget lines and communicating relevant calls for proposals to the project offices of the Foundation and its worldwide networks
• support of the Foundation’s project offices during the EU-proposal process
• support of the Foundation’s project offices when carrying out EU-projects

Themes
• Globalisation and development
• Education as the basis of a free society
• Securing peace and conflict prevention
• Active civil society and local government politics
• Human rights, rule of law, constitutional reform
Within these themes, the focus lies on
• The Introduction to specific chapters of the acquis communautaire and analysis of the implementation of the acquis communautaire
• Perspectives of liberal politics in the new EU member countries
• Focal points of liberal European politics: protection of people and minorities in the EU, liberalisation of European goods, capital and labour markets, subsidiarity, etc.
• Free trade and globalisation
• Democratisation of the Middle East
• Strengthening of the European liberal network

Participants
• Current and young leaders from developing and transition countries
• Current and young leaders from European institutions, European umbrella organisa- tions, embassies and liaison offices
• Liberal partners from developing and transi-tion countries
• Specialist audience in Brussels, particularly at the “Thought-Bites at Lunchtime”, “Liberal Breakfast” and “Transatlantic Lunch Series” events

Information Programmes
The DPB information programmes focus on these sectors of politics which are of most interest to the partners. Furthermore, the political and institutional foundation of the work of the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe (CE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the UN organisations located in Geneva are presented and explained. The information programmes are mainly offered to partners of the Foundation in the Central and Eastern European accession countries of the EU and NATO.

Dialogue Events
A broad spectrum of topics and political issues is discussed, based on the speeches of experts from developing countries, various European countries as well as international institutions and organisations. One example is the “Transatlantic Lunch Series”, which is organised in cooperation with the “Transatlantic Institute” in Brussels.

Study Tours

Delegation of Members of the Turkish Parliament in the European Parliament

Study tours to Brussels for members of the partner network organised by the DPB have proven to be an extremly successful instrument in supporting young leaders of tomorrow. During their stay, which may last several weeks, the participants work on concrete projects related to development politics within the framework of the EU, CE, ILO or WTO and they have access to all the existing resources and contacts of the DPB.
Programmes for Individuals and Small Groups
Programmes for individual visitors and small groups usually take place upon request of the project directors from all over the world. They provide an opportunity to exchange information, to deepen knowledge and experiences, and to make contacts with EU officials who are responsible for various budget lines.

Events for the Public in Brussels
In order to establish a permanent dialogue with decision-makers and lobbyists at European level, and to thereby strengthen organised liberalism internationally, the DPB holds numerous lectures and discussion sessions which are customised to a specialist audience in Brussels. Particular favourites are the “Thought-Bites at Lunchtime”, “Liberal Breakfast” and “Transatlantic Lunch Series” forums.

Provision of Experts and Information to Other Projects
In the spirit of active knowledge transfer, the DPB ensures that information, expert knowledge and top-class specialist speakers are continuously made available to other projects. This process is particularly successful in deepening and complementing the activities of the Brussels office, as well as in enriching the numerous international projects of the Foundation.