The Helsinki Debate on Europe

The so-called Declaration of Helsinki was signed on 1 August 1975. The agreement, which concluded the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), has been considered one of the most significant diplomatic achievements in European history, and was later often used by dissidents in the East to remind of the need for local, democratic reforms. 

Fifty years after the CSCE conference, leading Finnish and European intellectuals will gather at Hanaholmen in Espoo, as well as at the Finlandia Hall and The House of Text in Helsinki for a multi-day, in-depth discussion about the present and future for Europe. The brutal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the unrest in the Middle East and the new administration in the USA have highlighted the need to strengthen the rule-based international system and chart a new path forward. 

Among the participants between 15 and 18 May are such authors and journalists as Peter Pomerantsev, Nataliya Gumenyk, Monika Fagerholm, Durs Grünbein and Sergel Lebedev, historians and political scientists such as Karl Schlögel, Hanna Smith, Laura Kolbe and Jacques Rupnik, as well as diplomats and politicians such as Sonja Biserko, Jaakko Iloniemi and Veton Surroi. 

All discussions are in English and are open to all; admission is free. Limited number of places available. 

When: Between 15 and 18 May 2025 
Location: Hanaholmen, Finlandia Hall and The House of Text

Program and registration: https://hanaholmen.fi/en/events/debates-on-europe-2025 

Read more about the Debates on Europe series: https://www.debates-on-europe.eu/

If the media would like to interview any of the participants in advance or on location, please contact Communications Director Håkan Forsgård: hakan.forsgard(at)hanaholmen.fi, tel. +358 40 767 7373. 

The event is organised by the S. Fischer Foundation, the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung, the Institute of Finland in Germany and Hanaholmen in cooperation with The Finlandia Hall and The House of Text.