The “Defending Freedom Conference” took place in Tallinn (Estonia) from the 21st to the 24th of September. It was organized by New Direction, a think tank of the Conservative and Reformist Group in the European Parliament.
The conference revolved around freedom in the upcoming challenges of the European Union and the Western world. OIDEL participated in the panel discussion on education where we recalled the importance of acknowledging the role of parents for the right to education to be fully realized. The discussion, moderated by Rodrigo Ballester (Head of the Centre for European Studies at Mathias Corvinus Collegium), was attended by Stephen Bartulica (Founder and President of the Center for the Renewal of Culture and associate professor of political philosophy at the Catholic University of Croatia in Zagreb) and David Engels (Instytut Zachodni in Poznań).
During the discussion, our director, Ignasi Grau, also highlighted the importance for education to be driven toward higher goals such as beauty, truth and goodness. The panel was followed by a fruitful discussion with MEPs and representatives of other think tanks.
The event also aimed to connect think tanks, foundations, and academics interested in freedom-related politics. In this regard, OIDEL had some promising conversations that hopefully will serve to enrich our work in the future.