Brussels, 18/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - Last week, several contact groups set up to prepare the meeting between the European Convention and civil society, on 24 and 25 June, began work, leading at times to critical reactions (see EUROPE of 10/11 June, p.6 regarding the different groups). Thus, the Standing Forum for Civil Society deplored the fact that the meeting of the contact group of local regions and authorities (chaired by Ana Palacio) should have been organised "almost exclusively with organisations of European regions representing male (and very few female) elected representatives of local and regional authorities". Yet, says the Forum, regional and local organisations, "already represented in the Convention, notably through the Committee of the Regions, do not represent European civil society, which is regrouped within social, environmental, cultural, regional, local, etc. associations".
Bojan Brezigar, President of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL), on the other hand, seems quite satisfied with his participation in the contact group on culture, chaired by Alojz Peterle. Speaking in the debate on the problem of the "European identity and citizenship", he said "we want to guarantee that linguistic diversity in general, and the maintenance of lesser used languages in particular, have an important contribution to provide to diversity in Europe". He then stressed that he expected something very simple of the Convention: that "Article 22 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, stating that the EU shall respect linguistic diversity (…) should not remain an empty phrase but be taken into account in everyday political practice".