World-renowned speakers, foreign policy experts, activists, and journalists will convene and discuss how to build sustainable democracies.
Free Cities Forum
In cooperation with the Budapest Mayor’s Office and the Political Capital Institute, the CEU Democracy Institute has started the organization of the annual conference Budapest Forum - Building Sustainable Democracies. This project stems from the Free Cities pact, signed in 2019 by the mayors of Budapest, Warsaw, Prague and Bratislava, the capitals of the so-called Visegrad 4 (V4). The four pledged to combat populism, promote transparency, and tackle the climate crisis, as well as lobby for more EU funding for cities. The Budapest Forum brings together representatives of the alliance of Free Cities, public officials, activists and scholars to discuss, among others, issues linked to the decay and renewal of democracy.
September 26, 2022
The event, co-organized by Budapest Municipality, Political Capital and CEU Democracy Institute, hosted domestic and international thinkers and gave space to innovative, unusual, bold ideas and proposals to put the city back on the progressive intellectual map of the region.
August 11, 2022
Following last year's highly successful event, leading Hungarian and foreign experts, activists, decision-makers and journalists will discuss the most pressing social issues that citizens of democratic and nominally democratic countries may face nowadays.
November 15, 2021
On September 16-17, 2021, Budapest Municipality, Political Capital, and CEU Democracy Institute held the inaugural Budapest Forum for Building Sustainable Democracies, intending to establish a new annual event.
September 20, 2021
“Cities won’t solve the problems of authoritarian systems themselves,” our Co-Director Laszlo Bruszt said to the Hungarian Klubradio about the Budapest Forum for Building Sustainable Democracies.
August 24, 2021
On September 16-17, 2021, Budapest Municipality, Political Capital, and CEU Democracy Institute will hold the inaugural Budapest Forum for Building Sustainable Democracies with the intention of establishing a new, annual event.