Citizens from all 25 EU Member States define their goals for Europe
Launch of biggest-ever pan-European consultation process with Margot Wallström
The weekend of 7-8 October will see Commission Vice President Margot Wallström launch the biggest-ever pan-European debate involving citizens from all 25 EU Member States to find out what they want from Europe and which issues matter to them most.
This “Agenda Setting Event” at the Expo Center (Heyzel) in Brussels marks the start of an unprecedented consultation exercise which will lead to simultaneous, parallel dialogues between citizens in every EU Member State. The results of this process, which will be presented to EU policy-makers in spring 2007, are aimed at inspiring policy-makers as they begin to chart a new course for Europe following the rejection of the EU’s Constitutional Treaty in two referenda in 2005.
Two hundred citizens from 25 countries, selected at random to represent the diversity of the population, will travel over 300,000 km to take part in this unique debate. Over the course of two days, they will craft a “European Citizens’ Agenda”, which will identify three key topics for discussion at national events. On Sunday afternoon, this will be handed over to the project’s national partners, who will use it as a basis for the subsequent National Consultation events in all 25 Member States in early 2007.
“This dialogue is designed to set an example. It will ensure that the voices of those who are at the heart of the European project - the citizens – are heard,” says Luc Tayart de Borms, Managing Director of the King Baudouin Foundation.
The participants will be supported in their discussions by simultaneous interpretation into 20 languages, innovative facilitation methods and modern technology to ensure every one of them can contribute to defining the Europe they want.
The European Citizens Consultations are organised by a group of independent organisations led by the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium) in collaboration with European Citizen Action Service (ECAS), the European Policy Centre (EPC) and the Network of European Foundations (NEF). They are supported by Compagnia di San Paolo, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond and the Robert Bosch Foundation. The European network of partners and funders includes organisations from all Member States.
The Open Estonia Foundation (OEF) is the Estonian partner to the consortium. The national discussions are to involve approximately 100 people and to take place in February. 8 randomly selected Estonian citizens will be sent to the debate in Brussels.
The OEFs European Program aims for increased public understanding of the EU institutions and pan-European civic platforms in order to bring these institutions and cooperation networks closer to Estonians. In cooperation with the State Chancellery the OEF has awarded more than 7 million EEK to 130 different projects aiming to raise awareness of the European Union.
Project Media Coordinator: Nathalie Calmejane, ECAS
nathalie.calmejane@ecas.org, Tel: +32.2.548.98.27, Fax: +32.2.511.90.87
Program Coodinator in Estonia: Kadri Ollino, Open Estonia Foundation
kadri@oef.org.ee, Tel +372 6313791. Mob +372 55664745