The first step of a European Citizens’ Assembly consists of clearly seeing the many protagonists who plead for an European construction and who try to strengthen it. Some actors in Europe already make use of the concept of a citizens’ assembly, such as the European Movement, News European, Our Europe… Even though Europe nowadays is in need of a struggle to re-invent itself, there is no need to start from scratch : there are political structures, specifically a European Parliament, a European Commission and European elections to appoint European parliaments which will take place from June 4 to June 7, 2009 (through direct universal suffrage).
Matthieu Calame, in charge of the initiative at the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for Human Progress, is at an exploration and preliminary preparation stage. He highlights that : “I am taking inventory of the existing actors and dynamics, I have met some of them, I am trying to understand and survey the oppositions and move forward on the proposals while taking advantage of the debates carried out within the framework of the China-Europe Forum”.
The China-Europe Forum is a new process to promote a dialogue between the European society and the Chinese society, which was launched in 2005. It organizes the meeting of various socio-professional spheres from both continents as well as thematic work connected with their common challenges through a methodology born from the experience of a Global Citizens’ Assembly, where Regional Citizens’ Assemblies can find plenty of inspiration. According to Matthieu, the forum offers a constructive framework "to help the pro-European actors’ capacity to make proposals progress ", while it also gives, first and foremost, the opportunity to get them together and it allows them to confront their opinions in a context that invites them to take into account what is beyond the European frontiers.
the Citizens' Assembly in Europe
Topics
