- November 17, 2025
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- November 19, 2025
This year marked a milestone for Aspen Germany with the convening of its first Socrates Seminar in the Western Balkans. Organized in partnership with Aspen Romania and the Aspen Institute in the United States, the seminar took place in Podgorica, Montenegro, from November 17 to 19 and brought together a diverse group of participants from the Western Balkans, Gemany, and Romania. Under the theme “Democratic Backsliding – Rule of Law or Rule by Law?”, the seminar provided a timely and challenging framework to examine the pressures confronting democratic systems today.
The program opened with a keynote by Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović, setting the stage for in-depth discussions on the future of democracy, governance, and the separation of powers. Guided by Leigh Hafrey, Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and long-standing Socrates moderator, participants engaged in candid, off-the-record exchanges that encouraged critical reflection and moral inquiry. In the confidential atmosphere characteristic of the Socrates format, the seminar offered a rare opportunity for global peers to grapple collectively with the ethical and political dilemmas shaping democratic institutions in an increasingly contested world. Find more information in the brochure here.
