23/05/2008 President
“Citizen participation in political life and in policy formation itself is crucial for the future of our democracies”, says Sonja Licht, President of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence on the occasion of 19th European Conference of Presidents of Parliament. “Parliaments and civil society have to establish new arrangements to strengthen their communication and co-operation, such as exchanges of information, public debates on new legislation and financial affairs, and joint hearings on topics of concern,” she added.
The Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence is part of a network of political studies schools funded by the Council of Europe. The schools – 16 in total, located in countries in transition - offer training in democratic practices to young lawyers, politicians, journalists and business men and women. These flexible institutions have no walls and are open to all opinions, Ms Licht told her audience. They can help businesses, the media and the general public to play a full part in political and social life and create a new democratic order.