Brussels, 25/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has adopted a Communication on the practical modalities for the debate on the future of the Union. It proposes that Member States and Community institutions begin considering the modalities in anticipation of the European Council of Gothenburg on 15 and 16 June.
The Communication pleads in favour of the organisation of debates in Member States and candidate countries, in relation to the national and regional traditions of each of them. It places emphasis on the need to ensure broad citizen participation. The Commission proposes devoting 9.5 million euro to these activities between 2001 and 2004. One part of these credits would be devoted to the organisation of public debates of the type "dialogues on Europe" and another to the running of the Internet site FUTURUM, set up on 7 March last, on the joint initiative of the three institutions.
Stressing that the debate must also remain as broad and open as possible, President Romano Prodi declared: "It is not a question of organising the debate but of allowing it to develop, as close as possible to the concerns of each, as the future of the Union concerns all of us and not only governments and institutions". Commissioner Michel Barnier stressed that "the debate on the future of the Union will only be a success if Member States and Institutions take the time to reflect on its modalities and ways of drawing all the necessary lessons" (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.5).