Elias Ek, General Manager of Enspyre, participated in an international academic conference and was interviewed by Taiwan News.<\/p>\n
On the 26th, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the European Union Law Research Center of the College of Law at National Taiwan University jointly hosted the international academic conference titled \u201cChallenges and Opportunities in Democratization Development \u2014 The Impact of European Union Democratic Thinking on Democratization in Asia\u201d at NTU\u2019s College of Law.<\/p>\n
The conference was chaired by Professor Chen Chih-lung, Director of the EU Law Research Center at NTU, and co-organized by the Taiwan European Union Center and the Sino-German Cultural and Educational Foundation. Discussions focused on the impact and inspiration of European democratic thinking on Taiwan\u2019s democratization, equality in globalization and immigration, and the democratization of healthcare \u2014 including the transformation of doctor-patient relationships from \u201cauthoritarian\u201d to \u201cdemocratic\u201d models \u2014 opening new fields of discussion within Taiwan\u2019s legal academic community.<\/p>\n
Bao Tsung-ho, Director of the Taiwan European Union Center and chief coordinator of NTU\u2019s EU research group, stated that although Europe may be geographically distant from Taiwan, European democratic thought serves as an important inspiration for all humanity. Through debates and intellectual exchanges at the conference, participants explored differences between European democratic thought and the cultural and political thinking found in Taiwan, other Asian countries, and the United States.<\/p>\n
Topics closely related to ordinary citizens \u2014 such as \u201cpolitical democratization procedures and conditions,\u201d \u201cimmigration democratization,\u201d and \u201cmedical democratization\u201d \u2014 were discussed in relation to popular sovereignty and the refinement of modern rule-of-law states.<\/p>\n
The Taiwan European Union Center holds significant importance in Asia, becoming the fourth EU center established in the region after Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Officially commissioned by the European Union, the center serves as a major platform for Taiwan\u2013EU cooperation and exchange while also fostering a regional EU research community.<\/p>\n
Its primary mission includes promoting cooperation and exchange in EU policy research, deepening and expanding EU studies in Taiwan, strengthening Taiwan\u2013EU relations, improving Taiwan\u2019s understanding of the EU, and actively participating in global and Asia-Pacific EU center networks. The center hopes to become the most important Chinese-language hub for EU studies and bilateral civil society exchange.<\/p>\n
Promoting EU teaching and research at NTU is also a key priority for Taiwan\u2019s EU research group. Courses such as \u201cSpecial Topics in EU Law Sociology\u201d and \u201cEU Legal Culture and Thinking,\u201d taught jointly by Professor Chen Chih-lung, Professor Lu Zhao-lie of the Department of Foreign Languages, and Professor Ge Xiang-lin of the Graduate Institute of National Development, provide systematic exploration and discussion of EU law, society, and globalization.<\/p>\n
The courses invite EU representatives in Taiwan and European professionals to engage directly with students, providing knowledge about EU legal society, legal culture, and contemporary social development trends.<\/p>\n
Among the discussants were Director-General Hsieh Li-kung of the National Immigration Agency, immigration law scholar Professor Liao Yuan-hao, well-known educator Doris Brougham, and German participant Mr. Gunnar Thomas. They offered differing opinions on immigration issues, creating significant debate.<\/p>\n
The discussions carried important relevance for cross-strait immigration policies, employment rights, recognition of mainland Chinese academic qualifications, investment immigration, and skilled immigration. Questions concerning equal treatment between Asian immigrants and Western immigrants in Taiwan were also explored.<\/p>\n
The conference additionally examined the \u201cEuropeanization\u201d of criminal law, discussing how punishment decisions, legal interests, and criminal penalties all rely on democratized decision-making processes rather than broad discretionary power by legislators. Speakers argued that democratization itself should be viewed as the foundation of European constitutional and legal development.<\/p>\n
A panel discussing EU constitutional law, EU law, and democratization was chaired by Professor Chen Chih-lung. Participants included Professor Chang Chih-ming of NTU\u2019s Graduate Institute of National Development, Prof. Dr. Lukas Lien, and Elias Ek, founding chairman and standing director of the SME Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan. All participants possessed close familiarity with European thought and discussed democratization as a framework for the development of international and supranational organizations.<\/p>\n
Mr. Ek, who is Swedish and has lived in Taiwan for many years, explained that he never misses the opportunity to return to Sweden to vote. He stated that Europeans may criticize their own countries, but they deeply cherish democracy and passionately love their nations \u2014 qualities he described as fundamental characteristics of democratic societies. He suggested that Asian democracies may not always fully recognize or value these qualities.<\/p>\n
The conference used European democratic experience and debate-oriented thinking as a way to help Taiwan further mature democratically and strengthen democratization as a core societal value.<\/p>\n
Another major topic concerned whether modern healthcare systems and institutions have truly transformed into democratic systems \u2014 specifically, whether doctors have shifted from authoritative figures of the past into patient-centered service providers.<\/p>\n
Former Control Yuan President Shih Yao-tang prepared a PowerPoint presentation emphasizing this issue, while experts including Director Chan Chang-chuan, Director Fan Shou-ren, and Dr. Chang Chia-chi explored healthcare systems and Taiwan\u2019s National Health Insurance from various perspectives.<\/p>\n
The discussions effectively became an ideological confrontation between European left-wing, socialist-oriented healthcare concepts and right-wing capitalist healthcare views. Topics included disputes surrounding Taiwan\u2019s health insurance system, second-generation National Health Insurance reforms, hospital bed shortages, elderly healthcare, and patient transfer controversies.<\/p>\n
Author: Ellena Ma
Published by Taiwan News on May 27, 2010, 12:00 AM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Elias Ek, General Manager of Enspyre, participated in an international academic conference and was interviewed by Taiwan News. On the 26th, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the European Union Law Research Center of the College of Law at National Taiwan University jointly hosted the international academic conference titled \u201cChallenges and Opportunities in Democratization Development […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media"],"yoast_head":"\n