Inaugural conference of the Secularist Group in the European Parliament – European Secularist Network
8 July 2025, European Parliament, Strasbourg
At the invitation of Estelle Ceulemans, MEP
The conference will also be available via videoconference. To receive the link and watch it live, please leave your contact details below so we can send you the link by email.
It is still possible to register to attend the conference in person at the European Parliament (registration form at the bottom of the page).
In recent years, far-right political forces have been gaining ground once again, threatening the European project. Where these parties are in power, they are implementing their nationalist and authoritarian political agenda and attacking human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
This rise of far-right parties is not irresistible, far from it. They have suffered setbacks and, in some places, lost power.
The secular movement promotes the principles of freedom, equality and solidarity. Secularism, a prerequisite for effective democracy, affirms the universality of human rights and guarantees social cohesion independently of particular identities.
It is urgent to understand the nature of the threat facing our democracies in order to respond more effectively. This conference aims to answer the following questions:
- How can we resist?
- How can we defend the universal principles of freedom, equality and solidarity that lie at the heart of the secular project?
- In the face of forces that exploit the breakdown of social cohesion, how can we rebuild society?
Programme
14.00 Introduction
Estelle Ceulemans, Member of the European Parliament, and Véronique de Keyser, President of the European Secularist Network
14.15
1st theme (30 minutes). Repression
- Gáspár Békés, Association of Hungarian Atheists: Orban’s “illiberal democracy”, a regime based on a religious ideology
- Mariano Reaño Lambea, lawyer, Europa Laica: extreme right and justice in Spain, between influence and intrumentalisation
2nd theme (15 minutes). Deregulation
- Joan Francesc Pont Clemente, President of the Ferrer I Guardia Foundation, the manipulation of hate speech (online)
15h15
Debate (35 minutes): how to resist to the far right ?
Estelle Ceulemans and Véronique de Keyser
15h50
Conclusion (10 minutes), Estelle Ceulemans
Practical information:
- Tuesday, July 8, 2025, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM
- At the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France
- Registration required
