Brussels, 25 May 2005 - The conference, organized by Freedom House, the National Endowment for Democracy and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, is an opportunity to take advantage of recent events in post-communist states and in the broader Middle East, as well as the renewed commitment to democratization on the part of the EU and the U.S. administration. Such developments suggest that there is a shared commitment on both sides of the Atlantic to assist those elsewhere who are committed to democratic values and working to make them a reality. This is a chance to acquaint transatlantic democracy supporters with the transatlantic policy mainstream and to discuss mutual concerns, activities and experiences. Emma Bonino, MEP, will chair the Regional Working Group on Thursday, May 26. Program - Thursday, May 26, 2005 09h00 Speech Introduction, Ron Asmus, German Marshall Fund of the United States Under Secretary R. Nicholas Burns, Political Affairs, United States Department of State 10h00 Parallel Working Groups Regional Working Group 1 Democracy Promotion in the European Neighborhood: Post-Communist States Chair: Alexander Vondra, Program of Atlantic Security Studies (PASS), former Czech Ambassador to the United States Steven Everts, European Council Iryna Bekeshkina, Democratic Initiatives Fund Pavol Demes, German Marshall Fund of the United States Regional Working Group 2 Democracy Promotion in the European Neighborhood: Towards Arab Democracy Chair: Emma Bonino, Member of the European Parliament Muna Darwish, Arab Civitas Richard Youngs, FRIDE Mohsen Marzonk, Arab Partnership Democracy Center 11h15am Reports back from working groups 11h30 Cofee Break Noon Parallel Working Groups Case Study Working Group 1: Belarus Chair: Ambassador George Krol, United States Department of State Bogdan Klich, MEP Balacz Jarabik, Pontis Foundation Pirkka Tapiola, Policy Unit, EU Council Andrei Sannikov, Charter 97 Vincuk Viacorka, Belarus Popular Front Case Study Working Group 2: Egypt and its coming elections Chair: Dr. Jana Hybaskova, European Parliament Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies Amr Hamzany, Carnegie Endowment Emad El-Din Shabin, The American University in Cairo 13h00 Reports back from working groups 13h30 Lunch 14h30 Next Steps Chair: Ron Asmus, German Marshall Fund of United States Penn Kemble, Freedom House David French, Westminster Foundation for Democracy Emma Bonino, Member of the European Parliament David Lowe, National Endowment for Democracy Mensur Akgun, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV)