At the invitation of the Minister of State for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion, Petra Köpping, more than 200 experts from all over Saxony took part in the 9th annual conference of the Saxony Democracy Center in Dresden on 30.05.2024. This year's conference focused on the future of democracy in (East) Germany, the rise in power of authoritarian populist and far-right actors and other pressing challenges for the preservation of a defensible democracy: How do we remain capable of acting in the face of the increasing popularity of right-wing authoritarian actors? What role does disinformation play in election campaigns? How do we talk about anti-Semitism in the post-migration society? What are the current opportunities and challenges for democracy in the Free State of Saxony?

As part of a panel discussion, Minister of State Petra Köpping discussed the future of democracy in (East) Germany together with Lisa Paus (Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth), Carsten Schneider (Minister of State and Commissioner for East Germany of the Federal Government), Prof. Dr. Raj Kollmorgen (Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences) and Andrea Hübler (Managing Director of RAA Sachsen e.V.).