Das Progressive Zentrum

During the Meet-up 2020, Das Progressive Zentrum and the European Hub for Civic Engagement (EHCE) will present 4 prototypes for an online platform to strengthen and interconnect European civil society.

This year, our partners from the Innovation in Politics Institute came to Berlin to honour the best political projects from all over Europe. Out of over 400 nominees, 80 finalists and eight winners in eight categories were selected by a jury of more than 1,000 European citizens. The international gala took place in the Tipi at the Chancellery in Berlin under the joint patronage of the German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.

How can new technologies work best for society? In partnership with a diverse consortium of partners from academia, civil society, the public and private sector, Das Progressive Zentrum launched the innovation series #Tech4Society. The kick-off event shed new light on value creation and technological change in modern economies. Continuing the series in 2020 with a series of workshops we will dive deep into developing concepts for economic, societal and individual progress through new tech.

Three organizations are joining forces in a transatlantic project which aims to support innovation in urban areas and to revitalise democratic engagement.

In their new Working Paper, Daniela Blaschke and Florian Ranft show how we, as a society, can stay capable of acting in times of technological change.

Together with members from civil society, programmers, and designers, Das Progressive Zentrum hosted a hackathon in Tallinn to draft concrete ideas for the European Hub for Civic Engagement’s (EHCE) digital platform. The result of the session were four different prototypes that seek to address the main challenges faced by European civil society today.

With the innovation series #Tech4Society, Das Progressive Zentrum sheds new light on technological change, together with partners from academia, the public and private sector, and civil society.

Am Mittwoch Abend des 16. Oktober 2019 trafen führende Köpfe aus Wissenschaft, Politik und Wirtschaft aufeinander um über die Herausforderungen der Zukunft der Arbeit zu diskutieren.

In September 2019, Das Progressive Zentrum hosted two workshops in Gdansk and Lisbon with 42 civil society representatives from 23 European countries. The workshops are part of the pilot project ‘European Hub for Civic Engagement’ (EHCE), which aims to create a platform for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and best practices at the intersection of civil society, digital technology, and politics. During the workshops, we developed concrete features that such a platform could provide to further civic engagement and transnational collaboration.

Over 700 progressive thinkers came together on 10 October 2019, to discuss their ideas for the transformation of our democratic system. 32 speakers from over 11 European countries hosted workshops, inspire-talks, and a panel discussion.

The study provokes a socio-political debate on the future of work. Based on interviews with 50 experts, the authors identify four core-challenges, give ten policy recommendations and sketch a concept for an inclusive digital transformation.

The study analyses insights from 50 expert interviews in the UK, France and Germany.

Das Progressive Zentrum was delighted to host a Transatlantic Lunch with Max Bergmann from the Washington D.C. based Center for American Progress and Annegret Bendiek of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). The participants discussed the current situation and the future of transatlantic relations in and after the Trump era.

We will live-stream most parts of the Innocracy conference and Golden Autumn Night – for those of you who can’t come and for those of you who would like to rewatch the most important moments. This post will be updated regularly.

The new policy brief by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) & Das Progressive Zentrum (DPZ), on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office, emphasises the need for a Just Transition and a greater role for the foreign policy community in fighting climate change. The paper was presented at the German Foreign Office on 24 September 2019.

We’re proud and excited to start our project of a pan-European platform for civil society and Civic-Tech with our partners. Learn more about the EHCE, the ideas and organisations behind it, and the events that are planned.

Maria Skóra and Sophie Pornschlegel take a closer look at the European Election Campaigns 2019 in France, Germany and Poland and analyse whether they favoured the emergence of a Europeanised public sphere.

On May 29, the second workshop on dimensions, challenges and opportunities of a just transition took place in Brussels. The goal was to foster international exchange and knowledge sharing on the way to a more just and sustainable energy transition. Perspectives from eight countries worldwide contributed to an exciting debate on the role of foreign policy in that process.

We often hear that “Brussels is too far away” from the EU citizens: the turnout of the European Parliament elections is low, nationalist populism and Euroscepticism are on the rise. What to do? How to enhance citizens’ understanding of the EU, broaden ownership of the European project and build trust in the European structures?

We look back: at the Progressive Governance Symposium 2019, Europe Listens and other exciting projects – and into the future: with new team members, new fellows and new impulses for our liberal and social democracy. And all that in a new creative design!