BSF Panel 1: Dismantling Covidocracy – Protecting Democracy (BCSP in partnership with Open Society Foundations – Serbia)
What are the most glaring examples of violations of the rule of law during the pandemic world-wide, and which one can be identified in the Western Balkans region? How have the special measures imposed in response to the pandemic been used as an excuse for widening the executive powers of governments while taming democratic control? Where is the line between a necessary trade-off between public health and fundamental democratic principles in the time of crises, and imposing measures that are disproportionate, illegal, indefinite, or unnecessary relative to the health threat? Tackling this issue on a regional level, what should be the role of the EU should be in protecting democracy in the WB during and (maybe even) after the pandemic? How to prevent the dissenting influence of covidocracy on unresolved bilateral and regional relations?