Brussels, 25/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - Giampiero Alhadeff, President of the European social sector NGO platform, and Pier Virgilio Dastoli, spokesperson for the Standing Forum for Civil Society presented, on Tuesday to the press, a joint NGO declaration underlining their common aims and objectives in view of the Laeken summit. Entitled "Europe, it is our future", this declaration is the fruit of a collective work, a discussion that lasted at least three years and which is the reflection of a consensus between NGOs. This text will now be submitted for signing by all the NGOs, which want to subscribe to it, namely among others the representatives of associations and movements working for peace, equality, fundamental rights, social justice, sustainable development, quality of life and cultural diversity, commented Mr Dastoli, while adding that these representatives will be present during the Laeken Summit, as they where during the previous European Councils, to call for a Union based on solidarity and democracy, which should be representative, inclusive, equal and as close to the citizen as possible.
The work by the NGOs will be carried out in collaboration with the Belgian EU President, mainly within the services of the Prime Minister, and will lead to the organisation of a citizen's assembly in Laeken, which will take place alongside the European summit on 13, 14 and 15 December. It will gather thousands of NGO representatives and trade unions in order to contribute towards the debate over the future of the Union. In the framework of this debate, NGO representatives call, in their declaration, for the enhancing of the EU action in the fields of employment, poverty and social exclusion, equality between men and women, the fight against all forms of discrimination, sustainable development, general interest services, food safety and respect for cultural diversity, in order to guarantee a convergence towards the top of the national policies and legislation notably from the point of view of the respect for fundamental rights. For this, explains Pier Virgilio Dastoli, it requires a deep reform of the EU system answering the requirements expressed by civil society. Also the declaration adds: following the example of the Convention, which drafted the EU Charter of Fundamental rights, this reform must be the result of a structured and permanent dialogue between civil society and the national and European institutions. It should be vote by a majority, within a new convention, by representatives from governments, national parliaments and the European Parliament. Mr Dastoli added that this debate will be undertaken with the European leaders and announced that Nicole Fontaine, EP President, had accepted to meet with representatives from civil society on the eve of the Laeken Summit, and Romano Prodi, Commission President, following the summit, to discuss the results expected and achieved by the Summit and the follow-up to be given, which the national parliaments will implement.