The event took place on November 8 2016 at Breydel Auditorium in Brussels under the Auspices of Věra Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality and Pavel Svoboda, Member of European Parliament, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, EPP.

This conference commemorated the legacy of the personality of Václav Havel while at the same time highlighted practical aspects for why his work is relevant today. One of Václav Havel‘s legacies was his civic engagement based on his sense of responsibility for the future of the society and the country he was a part of. As a convinced European, he stressed the need to maintain the connection between the state and its institutions, and its people. For him politics was an ongoing, deeply meaningful dialogue comparable to a theatre piece.

Conference started with the opening speeches of  Věra Jourová (EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality),  Pavel Svoboda (Member of European Parliament, EPP),  Martin Povejšil (Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU) and  Jaroslav Kurfürst (Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Kingdom of Belgium).

The guests of the conference were Karel Schwarzenberg, Markus Meckel, Martin Bútora, Herman Van Rompuy, Ana Palacio and Jiří Přibáň. The event was moderated by Michael Žantovský.