Annual Report 2016 Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Annual Report 2016 Annual Report Annual Report 2016
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Annual Report 2016 Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Annual Report 2016 Annual Report 2016 Jahresbericht 2015 02 03 Can we change the world if we fight for it? http://bit.ly/2tjOCG9 Promotional clip Video 04 Foreword 05 Annual Report 2016 Hans-Dietrich Genscher was an exemplary role model for our liberal Foundation: he personified the courage to choose freedom. A great European and respected German patriot, his services as the architect of German re-unification will remain forever unforgotten, both within the Foun- dation and in broader German society. In June our trustee of many years, Detlef Kleinert, passed away, having been a member of our board of trustees for almost 30 years. On 24 August former Federal President Walter Scheel died, having served for many years as chairperson of our board of trustees. Walter Scheel left his mark on the Foundation thanks to the high esteem in which he was held as a former foreign minister and federal president of Germany, as well as his international network of contacts and his cheerful bonhomie. The year 2016, with its great political debates on the future of Europe, the refugee crisis and the safeguarding of pensions, also had a considerable impact on our education and training activities. The European Future Conference on 8 December 2016 in Berlin was a fitting end to a year marked by Brexit and the crisis of Europe. After the official opening by Federal President Joachim Gauck, the prime ministers of Luxembourg and Slovenia participated in a panel discus- sion with two of our trustees, Christian Lindner and Alexander Graf Lambsdorff. The future of our continent was also the topic of speeches by the former federal president of Switzerland, Kaspar Villiger, at the Paulskirche in Frankfurt, and of Ryszard Petru, leader of the opposition in the Polish parliament, in Berlin in March. But other events of our regional programmes, as well as position papers we published during 2016 on topics as diverse as pensions, school policy, housing policy, the elimination of cash, digitisation, mobility, climate protection, big data privacy, smart government, integration, and refugee policy, also made significant contributions to the current debate and may spark your Dear reader, interest. You are welcome to read our publications at www.freiheit.org. Our annual report for 2016 provides you with detailed insights into the Foundation’s work last Unfortunately, the world did not become a safer place in 2016. Quite the contrary. Worldwide, year. It covers new projects and ideas, painful losses and farewells, and exciting campaigns and we have seen freedom continue to be placed under enormous pressure; nonetheless, we will not events which have enriched our work both in Germany and abroad. stop defending it. In addition to a renewed focus on Washington, Hong Kong and Brussels, we will continue to defend freedom through our human rights activities and our collaboration In 2016, the Foundation lost some of its most important allies. In the space of just a fortnight in with partners and supporters of liberty in Europe and throughout the world. March 2016, former liberal foreign ministers Dr Guido Westerwelle and Hans-Dietrich Genscher passed away. The loss of Dr Guido Westerwelle meant not just losing a good friend, but also a 2017 will be a fateful year for freedom in Europe and around the world. The Foundation has loyal supporter of the Foundation’s work over many years, be it as a bursary holder, federal repositioned itself and is ready to address these challenges. chairperson of the FDP or as foreign minister. We invite you to participate in the freedom project through this, our Foundation for Freedom. Beginnings. Farewells. Steffen Saebisch New challenges. CEO, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom 06 Table of Contents 07 Annual Report 2016 08 Highlights 46 International politics 10 European Future Conference 48 Latin America: Adiós populists 14 Freedom Prize 50 Trump triumphs 16 Raif Badawi Award 52 Free Media – Free Minds 18 Boris Nemtsov Forum 54 Timothy Garton Ash on Brexit 20 Berlin Freedom Address 56 Gerhardt and Paqué: Game over 22 Open and digital society 58 Taking stock: a liberal perspective 24 Using games to teach human rights in Thailand 60 The board’s activities 26 Sharia strives for emancipation 61 Report by the board of trustees on committee work 28 Training of trainers on e-commerce 62 On the self-conception of the political foundations 30 Sharing is caring – isn’t it? 63 Engaged in political dialogue in over 60 countries worldwide 64 Acknowledgement and imprint 32 Education 34 “Animate Europe” goes Strasbourg 36 From troublemakers to liberal revolutionaries? 38 Social market economy 40 Special award for contributions to economic freedom presented to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Bulgaria 42 Of kings and peanut butter producers 10 Highlights 11 Annual Report 2016 On 8 December 2016 – almost 25 years to the day after In looking to the future, Gauck took inspiration from the left behind by globalisation who voted for populism, as the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty – liberals from past: he quoted at length from an essay by Lord Ralf was the case with comparable lower-middle class protest across Europe met at the European Future Conference, Dahrendorf, published almost two decades previously movements in many European states. It was advisable, hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. in “Die Zeit”, a liberal weekly newspaper. In the article, he added, to internalise these lessons quickly and draw The conclusion: there is lots to be done – let us get started! Dahrendorf, a prominent liberal and former chairperson correct conclusions from the questions and challenges of the Foundation’s board who died in 2009, highlighted raised. Globalisation – never mind how right and im- Wolfgang Gerhardt, chairperson of the Foundation’s the links between globalisation and its social impact in portant it was for the world – had to be moderated and board, formulated the day’s core message in his introduc- a way that was “almost prophetic”, in Gauck’s words. He socially cushioned, else democracy would be “crushed tory remarks, which many liberal top politicians from all went on to say: “Dahrendorf coolly analyses the costs between the unleashed elements”, he warned. over Europe referenced in their replies and comments: and benefits of globalisation and concludes that its social “If the European Union didn’t exist, we would have to side-effects and repercussions will be the ‘next challenge In his view, the EU was facing a whole host of challen- invent it. But it exists, so we must improve it.” for a policy of freedom’.” Gauck said he wished he had ges, greatest of which was seeing this task catalogue “read this text earlier. Then I would have understood as a joint responsibility. He added that the surprising US Federal President Joachim Gauck, who opened the sooner what is coming our way.” The president’s advice: election result “will also see the transatlantic partnership conference with a brilliant speech in front of over 600 “Take your bearings from the analytical foresight of the enter a new, unpredictable period”. The first of two panel Liane Knüppel, delegates at the Kosmos Berlin, also followed this line great liberals to avoid being surprised by developments discussions dealt with the question of how Europe could Professor Ludwig Theodor Heuss, of thought. He asserted that there could be only one in politics and society.” both boost freedom and generate more prosperity. For Dr Wolf-Dieter Zumpfort, response to the continent’s political and economic crises, Christian Lindner, the FDP’s federal chairperson, the key Professor Karl-Heinz Paqué Brexit, the forces pulling at the edges of the community, “United, but not unified” to combating populism and despondency was to address the rise of populists and autocrats, and the elevation of the problem of lacking courage: “It is not change which we Donald Trump to the US presidency: closer cooperation Gauck next turned his attention to the US election results, have to fear, but fear itself.” Fear was what led countries to and an even closer integration of the European states. commenting that Dahrendorf’s 1997 prophecy rang truer seal off their markets. Fear led governments to subsidise However, this did not mean “the erasure of national than ever if one observed that it was mainly – although old industry structures instead of boldly supporting entre- identities or national cultures”. not exclusively – socially marginalised groups and those preneurs or investing in cross-border digitisation. European Future “Take your bearings from the analytical foresight Conference 2016 of the great liberals to avoid being surprised by developments in politics and society.” Nobody can take our freedom! Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Miro Cerar, Christian Lindner, Ryszard Petru, Joachim Gauck, Hans van Baalen, Dr Wolfgang Gerhardt, Xavier Bettel 08 Highlights 09 Annual Report 2016 “We must attempt, through facts and our love for freedom, to allay people’s fears of a globalised world.” Joachim Gauck, former President of Germany 12 Highlights 13 Annual Report 2016 Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Vice president of the European Parliament “If we want our values to be respected, we have to defend them.” In his statements, Xavier Bettel, prime minister of the According to Lindner, more intensive collaboration did not Miro Cerar, prime minister of the Republic of Slovenia, In this context, Lambsdorff called for the “toothless tiger”, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, similarly expressed a desire necessarily mean “more Brussels”. He summarised his Alexander Graf Lambsdorff (FDP), vice-president of the Europol, to be transformed into a “European FBI” tasked for “more courage, more innovation” and especially a position as follows: “A united Europe does not have to be European Parliament, and Ryszard Petru, chairperson of with vigilantly and effectively combating the dramatically greater effort in the field of digitisation.