This is not Europe’s best moment. The difficulty in ratifying the Treaty of Lisbon, the strong abstention expected by the surveys for the next parliamentary election in June 2009, the gap between the citizens’ ambition for a sustainable development and social justice, and the feeling that Europe is becoming a huge unified market which is of benefit to businesses, deepens the gap between those in favor of and those against Europeans within each of the member States.
Should we just resign ourselves to these crises and forget about unprecedented the geo-political adventure constituted by the European Union ? Isn’t the European construction the only possible model for the construction of a legitimate, democratic and effective world governance or simply a sustainable world ? Undoubtedly so. However, this is only on condition that the European citizens commit to the construction of a Europe with new debate and deliberative mechanisms.
This is part of the objective of the “Challenge For Europe” initiative, a collaboratory blog launched this past May on the Euroactiv website (the most visited website on European issues). The preparation for the elections at the beginning of June, 2009 provides the opportunity to encourage debates and to gather concrete proposals on the future of the Union coming from different origins – from Europe or from other parts of the world. The debates aim at involving the Congress candidates as well as those congressmen who, once elected, will be representatives in the European Parliament after June 7.
The Future Generation Foundation, the Higher Studies Institute of Social Communication, the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation and EuroActiv have joined other participants to activate the process. The blog, unlike the blogs usually used as a unique voice, makes over 50 actors from the civil society participate. It contains articles translated into French and English written by independent writers. These contributions deal with topics as wide as culture and religion, defense and security, teaching and research, governance, democracy and citizenship, immigration, mass media, social Europe, economy and finances, rural and sustainable development, and Europe in the world. There are currently seventy proposals on line.
For questions, comments por proposals, visit the blog ! www.challengeforeurope.eu
the Citizens' Assembly in Europe
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