The 6th Liberty Seminars will be held August 26-31, 2013 at Lake Bled, Slovenia. Registration will open on May 20.

"Four of us -- Thais Verhoeven, Karolina Jurak, Katerina Shapkova, and Paris Aslanidis -- first met in Slovenia in the summer of 2011. It was our love for the ideas of liberty that brought us to the shores of lake Bohinj, where the 2011 Liberty Seminars took place, under the auspices of Svetilnik. Even though we came from different countries and cultures, we spoke the common language of individual rights and free choice, which was more than enough for the participants from countries in Europe and beyond to spend together a wonderful week.

We kept in touch ever since, and we were thrilled to meet again at the 2013 European Students For Liberty (ESFL) conference in Leuven, Belgium (see photo above) to discuss the future of the student libertarian movement in Europe. One of us, Karolina, had even become the local coordinator for the Students of Liberty in Poland. At the conference we had a great time indulging in presentations and discussions. We are confident that this is not the end of 'our path'; another year, another conference will bring us together again."
-- Paris Aslanidis, Greece, 2011 Liberty Seminars Alumn

“Tanja and her team deserve our thanks and praise for assembling so many young people in a perfect setting to explore liberty from many angles. The energy and passion of the attendees were apparent from start to finish. I know from talking to many of them that they were eager to put what they learned to good use. Ten, twenty and thirty years from now when they are making history as men and women of influence, they will be telling stories about what a boost it was to be at a Liberty Seminar. Thanks to the thoughtful and generous donors whose investments in this event will be paying dividends for decades to come.”
-- Lawrence W. Reed, President, Foundation for Economic Education




"The Liberty Seminars combine fun, scholarship, inquiry, and fellowship. The participants from across Europe (and occasionally from further afield) who have taken part are already changing the world for the better. These seminars attract smart, motivated, and energetic young people who care about liberty, about justice, about peace, and about the future. And what better place than beautiful Slovenia for them to meet?"
-- Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Economic Research Foundation



"The Liberty Seminars are a chance to dive deeply into some of the most profound, important, and stimulating ideas in the world. The participants are smart and passionate, the discussions and debates are lively and robust, and the setting is breathtaking. Tanja and her team have put together a top knotch, intensive learning experience that equips attendees with the mental tools to ask a vital question: "how can free people live better together?""
-- Dr. Adam Martin, Professor, King's College London, UK




"The Liberty Seminars are quality events. Everything is smoothly organized, allowing scholars and students to pack a lot of learning into a relatively short period of time - yet still allowing some amazing sightseeing and fun in a beautiful part of the world. There's also a great sense of camaraderie, with people from all over Europe joining together to discuss the ideas and ideals of a free society. I hope to return over and over again."
-- Daniel J. Mitchell, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

- 1 opening ceremony
- 1 closing ceremony
- 1 mega bus rented
- 1 executive director (Tanja Stumberger)
- 2 program managers (Catinca Hanganu and Lovro Jurgec)
- 2 debates with 8 debaters (Yannick Sustersic, Iryna Tumanova, Barbara Stempien, Jan Czada, Aliaksandr Papko, Lukasz Jakacki, Anna Czepiel and Martin Belan)
- 3 alumni returned (Iryna Tumanova, Sasha Dragovich and Pavlo Marchuk)
- 3 volunteers (Paolo Angelini, Boris Stumberger and Primoz Kocuvan)
- 3 conference rooms
- 4 movies screened (“Power of Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman”, “The Battle of Ideas”, “Overdose: A Film about the Next Financial Crisis” and “Europe's Debt: America's Crisis?”)
- 5th annual Liberty Seminars
- 6 days of the seminars
- 7 blog posts written during the seminars
- 8 speakers (Doug Bandow, Bob Chitester, Adam Martin, Daniel J. Mitchell, Tom G. Palmer, Lawrence W. Reed, Tanja Stumberger and Katarina Zajc)
- 10 free market organizations (Adam Smith Institute, Atlas, Ayn Rand Institute, Cato Institute, Foundation for Economic Education, Fund for American Studies, Heritage Foundation, Institute of Economic Affairs and Katantanija Institute) donated over 2.000 copies of books and DVDs
- 10 canoes rented
- 14 meals
- 22 discussions
- 23 countries represented (Austria, Belarus, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States)
- 24 guests attended the open events during the seminars
- 32 post anonymous surveys filled
- 38 double rooms occupied at 2 hotels (Hotel Lovec and Hotel Kompas)
- 53 participants
- 69 donors raised over 55.000 euro
- 80 accepted applications
- 90 kremsnite (Bled local dessert) eaten
- 287 applications

The last day of the Liberty Seminars 2012 was another opportunity for the participants to shine. Early in the week the participants were divided into four groups. At that point each group picked a debate leader, who was in charge of organizing the work of the team throughout the week when the team was preparing for the debates. Each team also selected two individuals who debated on the sixth day of the Liberty Seminars 2012. Dr. Daniel Mitchell and Dr. Doug Bandow served as judges. (read more here)

We started our fifth day with two great lectures by Dr. Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute. In the first one titled "The Future of International Security Alliances", dr. Bandow presented libertarian view on foreign policy. In second one titled "Drug War and Drug Decriminalization", Dr. Bandow discussed positive effects of drug decriminalization. (read more here)

We started our fourth day of the Liberty Seminars 2012 enjoying a documentary movie: "The Commanding Heights: The Battle of Ideas". After the movie, we heard a fantastic lecture titled "The Goverment`s Role in the Economy: Keynes v. Hayek" which was given by Dr. Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute, in which Dr. Mitchell disscused how governments should react in economic crises and how big they should not be. (read more here)

During the first half of the third day the Liberty Camp 2012 and the Liberty Academy 2012 engaged in seperate discussions. While the Liberty Camp participants discussed the Morality of Capitalism with Dr. Tom Palmer, the Liberty Academy participants addressed the issue of Public Choice in a discussion with Dr. Adam Martin (with a little help from Steve Buscemi of the Boardwalk Empire). (read more here)

Second day started with participants' presentations of civil and economic liberty in their own countries. The presentations of the individual countries were based on the Economic Freedom of the World Index and various civil freedom indicators. In four hours of presentations, we learned a lot about 23 countries the participants are coming from and concluded that these countries are much more similar when it comes to the size of both the government and state-owned industries, as well as corruption and violations of the freedom of the press than we thought. (read more here)


The presenters received a free copy of a book, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. donated to our project by the Ayn Rand Institute.

The 5th annual edition of the Liberty Seminars opened its doors on Monday, August 27 to 53 participants from 23 countries. The seminars are held at Hotel Kompas at Lake Bled, Slovenia.

Due to our generous sponsors (Adam Smith Institute, Atlas Network, Ayn Rand Institute, Cato Institute, Foundation for Economic Education, Heritage Foundation, Institute of Economic Affairs and Network for a Free Society) we had many books and other material to give away to the participants. (read more here)

Because we unexpectedly lost the main source of funding, the Liberty Seminars 2012 were in danger. If we didn't find new supporters, we would have been forced to cancel this year’s seminars. In this very grave situation we turned to the friends of the Liberty Seminars for HELP.

Our alumni know how unique and valuable these seminars are. For many of them attending the seminar was a life changing experience. Try to imagine these young minds never had an opportunity to attend the seminar. We knew that we cannot allow that the 2012 participants would be denied such an opportunity.

The campaign "SAVE the LIBERTY SEMINARS" started on August 17 and finished on August 27 (when the 2012 Liberty Seminars began). During that time we have received 63 donations, which have raised over 25.000 euro or 83% of the target funds. THANK YOU in the name of the 2012 Liberty Seminars participants. Together we have SAVED the Liberty Seminars in Slovenia!

Donors:
1. Daniel Hinst
2. Milutin Pavicevic (2008 participant)
3. Patricia Walsh
4. Robert Lawson
5. Joshua Hall
6. Bob Schroeder
7. Nejc Rozman (2012 participant)
8. Jure Bukovec
9. Srdjan Nikolic
10. Network for a Free Society
11. Jacek Spendal
12. Jure Baloh (2009 participant)
13. Jan Geder (2008 and 2010 participant)
14. David E. Shellenberger
15. Martin Panek (2012 participant)
16. Dominik Stroukal (2012 participant)
17. Katarina Zajc
18. Tanja Stumberger
19. Tom Clougherty
20. Lovro Jurgec (2009 participant)
21. Peter Gorse (2012 participant)
22. unnamed
23. Zoltan Kesz (2008 participant)
24. Krassen Stanchev
25. Mitja Robin
26. Vera Milenkovic (2008 participant)
27. Jurgec d.o.o.
28. Bogdan Sajovic (2010 and 2011 participant)
29. Katarina Korbelova (2011 participant)
30. Boris Štumberger
31. Ben Stafford (2008 participant)
32. Petar Ganev
33. Stephen Stephens
34. Enes Banda (2009 participant)
35. Belan Martin (2012 participant)
36. Tanja Kosi
37. Mark Calabria
38. Matt Bufton
39. Tomaz Butina
40. Milan Pagon
41. Marko Pavlisic
42. Institute for Market Economics
43. Jakub Pivoluska (2011 participant)
44. unnamed
45. Tom Dyble (2009 participant)
46. Andrej Srakor
47. KC 2 Ltd
48. Ljubo Sirc
49. Andreea Moraru (2008 participant)
50. Andrea Rich
51. Frederik Cyrus Roeder (2009 participant)
52. RE-FORMA d.o.o.
53. Libertarijanski Klub Libek
54. unnamed
55. Domen Zafred (2009 participant)
56. Dominik Weber (2011 participant)
57. Marko Porcnik
58. Catinca Hanganu (2008 participant)
59. The BVR fund
60. Katerina Sapkova (2011 participant)
61. Adam Martin
62. Daniel J. Mitchell
63. unnamed

Comments by some of our donors:

Dear Tanja and the rest of your team,
I'm glad that the Liberty Seminars have survived and gave the opportunity to many individuals to take part at the project. This event is unique and deserves to continue because it has a spirit and objective. It's not just worth the trouble organizing it, but also worth the time participating. Many people understood the power of the ideas that are presented at the seminars and have therefore decided to save the seminars. I gave little to support big. I thank you that you didn't give up and have touched so many people that at the end decided to contribute. I wish you all the best and hope that you will have the strength and enthusiasm to continue organizing the Liberty Seminars.
-- Martin Belan, 2012 participant and donor to the “SAVE the LIBERTY SEMINARS” campaign

Dear Tanja and everyone else,
I'm very, very glad that you have managed to save the Liberty Seminars! It has tradition and it it crucial to keep it. My financial contribution was the smallest I could have done. I'm proud of your project, and being a part of it as a participant in 2008 and now as a donor! Let libertarian spirit live forever! We all need it. :) .
-- Vera Milenković, 2008 participant and donor to the “SAVE the LIBERTY SEMINARS” campaign

Dear Tanja,
I'm delighted that the seminars went ahead and were a success. Keep up the good work.
-- Tom Clougherty, donor to the “SAVE the LIBERTY SEMINARS” campaign

Tanja,
I'm so glad there was such a large group of students. Wishing you all much success for next year's program and into the future.
-- Andrea Rich, donor to the “SAVE the LIBERTY SEMINARS” campaign

Tanja,
Glad I could have helped. Truly impressive to see what you are accomplishing.
-- Mark Calabria, 2011 speaker and donor to the “SAVE the LIBERTY SEMINARS” campaign

It looks like Tanja Štumberger and company did another bang up job, this time under extraordinary circumstances. Wish I could have done more to help. Hopefully all had a great and intellectually stimulating time. GREAT JOB TANJA AND FRIENDS!
-- Bob Schroeder, donor to the “SAVE the LIBERTY SEMINARS” campaign

If a week long seminar is too long for you, we invite you to join us for a shorter visit.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2012
16:00-17:30 LECTURE: "History of Liberty" by dr. Tom Palmer
18:00-19:30 LECTURE: "History of Economic Liberal Thought" by dr. Adam Martin
The attendance fee is 20 EUR and includes a Liberty Seminars 2012 T-shirt. No pre-registration required.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
15:00-16:30 MOVIE: "Power of Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman"
16:30-18:00 LECTURE: "The Austrian School v. the Chicago School" by dr. Adam Martin
18:30-20:00 LECTURE: "Flat Tax, Tax Competition and Tax Haven" by dr. Dan Mitchell
The attendance fee is 20 EUR and includes a Liberty Seminars 2012 T-shirt. No pre-registration required.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
20:00-22:00 WORLD PREMIERE: "Europe's Debt: America's Crisis?".
This documentary was produced by the Free to Choose Network, which, among other things, co-produced Milton Friedman's 10 part series "Free to Choose". After screening "Europe's Debt: America's Crisis?", we will have a Q&A session with Bob Chitester, the founder and president of the Free To Choose Network, and Tanja Stumberger, Svetilnik's Senior Fellow, who also appears in "Europe's Debt: America's Crisis?".
The 10 EUR attendance fee is to be paid at the entrance of the event. No pre-registration required.

Participants are expected to attend all sessions, where they engage critically with the readings and the issues discussed. Since the seminar is based on active participation of the participants, the participants are expected to read the assigned readings... [more]

Participants are expected to attend all sessions, where they engage critically with the readings and the issues discussed. Since the seminar is based on active participation of the participants, the participants are expected to read the assigned readings.

Thank you dear sponsors. Without you the 5th annual Liberty Seminars would not be possible!

So far, the following organizations have pledged sponsorship of our project this year (in alphabetical order): Adam Smith Institute, Atlas Netwoek, Ayn Rand Institute, Cato Institute, Foundation for Economic Education, Fund for American Studies, Heritage Foundation, Institute of Economic Affairs and Network for a Free Society.



If your organization is not yet among our 2012 supporters, and would like to be, please click here.

Freedom lovers from all over the world are coming to Slovenia this summer to discuss about freedom, markets, morality, rights and public policy at one of two available seminars, Liberty Camp or Liberty Academy. The 5th annual Liberty Seminars will take place at Hotel Kompas at Lake Bled between 27 August - 1 September.

Lawrence W. (Larry) Reed is the president of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). Earlier, Reed was for first two decades President of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, before becoming president emeritus of the Center. Under his leadership, the Mackinac Center emerged as the largest and one of the most effective and prolific of over 40 state-based “free market” think tanks in the United States. Further, Reed served a term as president and 15 years as a member of the board of directors of the State Policy Network.

Reed is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, chairman of the board of the Prometheus Institute, a member of the board of Just Facts, and an advisor to numerous organizations around the world.

In the past twenty years, he has authored over 1,000 newspaper columns and articles, dozens of articles in magazines and journals in the U. S. and abroad, as well as five books. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, among many others. Reed’s most recent book is Striking the Root: Essays on Liberty. Since 1978, he has delivered more than 1,000 speeches.

Reed holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Grove City College (1975) and an M.A. degree in History from Slippery Rock State University (1978), both in Pennsylvania. Central Michigan University (CMU) conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Administration. In 1998, Grove City College (his undergraduate alma mater) bestowed upon him its “Distinguished Alumni Award.” In 2009, Reed was given a second honorary doctorate (in Laws) by Northwood University, US.

Daniel J. Mitchell is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. Prior to joining Cato, Mitchell was a senior fellow with The Heritage Foundation, and an economist for Senator Bob Packwood and the Senate Finance Committee. He also served on the 1988 Bush/Quayle transition team and was Director of Tax and Budget Policy for Citizens for a Sound Economy.

Mitchell a top expert on tax reform and supply-side tax policy. His articles can be found in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Investor's Business Daily, and Washington Times. He is a frequent guest on radio and television and a popular speaker on the lecture circuit. Mitchell holds bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University, USA.

Dr. Tom G. Palmer is the executive vice president for international programs at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, where he is among other responsible for establishing operating programs in 14 languages and managing programs for a worldwide network of think tanks. He is also a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and director of Cato University. In the past, Dr. Palmer was an H. B. Earhart Fellow at Hertford College, Oxford University and a vice president of the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University.

Dr. Palmer frequently lectures all over the world on political science, public choice, civil society, and the moral, legal, and historical foundations of individual rights. He is the author of "Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice" and editor of "The Morality of Capitalism" and the forthcoming book "After the Welfare State." He has published reviews and articles on politics and morality in scholarly journals such as the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, and Constitutional Political Economy, as well as in publications such as Slate, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Die Welt and the Washington Post.

He received his M.A. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America, USA and his doctorate in politics from Oxford University, UK.