EESC wants to put Europe into hands of Europeans EN
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President Sigmund in Paris: give the European project back to the people!
Speaking at the National Convention of Economic and Social Councils in France, EESC President Anne-Marie Sigmund made an appeal to put the European project back in the hands of the people. She intends to create a genuine European public arena for listening to people's views, dialogue and discussion.
On 28 September, the second National Convention of Economic and Social Councils in France was held in Paris on the subject of The role of organised civil society in public decision-making.
Anne-Marie Sigmund, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), highlighted the main challenges ahead: the uncertainties in the process of ratifying the Constitutional Treaty, the financial perspectives for the 2007-2013 period and the need to revitalise the Lisbon Strategy, which went to the very heart of the European social model.
According to the President, "this is about putting the European project back in the hands of the people, whilst allowing organised civil society and the institutions which represent it to play their part fully in a lasting reform of the process of participation in public decision-making."
The President also recalled the recent words of Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, who said that "Europeans today expect to be more involved in the political process, and the challenges that are of concern to them are globalisation, unemployment and social problems. The people of Europe and the organisations that represent them must have more say."
Mrs Sigmund also sees as important the fact that "when the time comes, we will look into the possibility of developing and extending our cooperation, in particular by ensuring the long-term nature of our interactive network, over and above the specific objectives assigned to it under the Lisbon Strategy, in order to use it for a greater purpose: the creation of a genuine European public arena for listening, dialogue and discussion."
At the invitation of the President of the French ESC, Jacques Dermagne, the ESC Convention provided an opportunity for numerous discussions in which the members expressed specific concerns. The Convention was concluded with a statement by Mr Dominique de Villepin, Prime Minister of France.
For more details, please contact:
Christian Weger at the EESC Press Office.
99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels
Tel.: 02 546 9396/9586; Mobile: 0475 753 202
email: press@esc.eu.int
