1 October 2024, Athens – Hon. Anastasios Bartzokas (Greece) represented the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) at the Athens Democracy Forum, organized by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, in association with The New York Times.
The event brought together legislators, parliamentarians, and global leaders to discuss the current challenges to democratic governance, the rise of populism, and the impact of technology on political discourse. Participants explored opportunities for strengthening democratic institutions, enhancing electoral integrity, and fostering inclusive political systems in response to growing global instability.
PAM actively contributed to the Caucus of Parliamentarians session, which focused this year’s edition on citizen-led parliamentary committees and how to improve our democratic process and increase public trust.
During his intervention, Hon. Bartzokas emphasized PAM’s commitment to promoting peace, cooperation, and democratic resilience across the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf regions. He highlighted the need for multilateral action to address the erosion of democratic institutions, noting that the rise of populism, organized crime, and cyber threats continues to destabilize democratic governance globally. He further stressed the importance of engaging parliamentarians in crafting policies that promote electoral integrity, media freedom, and digital governance.
Hon. Bartzokas further underscored the need for new operational and sociocultural paradigms to address both the internal and external challenges to democracy, along with political mediation and an enhanced multilateral cooperation.
Furthermore, he highlighted PAM’s commitment in ensuring women’s full participation in democratic processes. To further this mission, PAM has established its Women Parliamentary Forum (WPF), which is entirely devoted to supporting women in politics and fostering continuous dialogue to promote gender equality.
On behalf of the Assembly, he reaffirmed its readiness to further collaborate with the Athens Democracy Forum and other global partners to strengthen democratic principles and standards across the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Region. //