Brussels, 24/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - Our hearing with civil society "is not an exercise for style for us, but an enrichment of of the Convention at a stage where it still has not decided on its directions", said the Convention's President Vaery Giscard d'Estaing when opening a two-day session on 24 June devoted to listening civil society. In this debate, "there will only be two rules: freedom of expression (…) and the respect of the others", he said. Giscard d'Estaing had begun with a short report on his address to the European Council of Seville, noting that, in their reactions, participants had "placed emphasis on three points": - their will for "increased participation" of their representatives in the Convention; - the need to conduct "work at simplification"; - respect of the timetable. On this last issue, "I told them that we shall do all we can (…), but without sacrificing the quality of our work", and that "the phase of drawing up the project would thus begin early 2003, he stipulated.
If we want civil society to bear results in our work, it must be involved "very closely", said the Convention's vice-president, Jean-Luc Dehaene, responsible for contacts with civil society and who chaired the remainder of the hearing, noting that "this session is neither the beginning nor the end", and that they would have to find "means for civil society to be heard regularly". The latter was invited to provide its contribution, and that "it does not deprive itself of that opportunity, as demonstrated by the web site", observed the former Belgian Prime minister, recalling that the Convention had worked with civil society in three ways:
- with the Forum, "on the net". Mr. Dehaene stipulated that so far 160 organisations had taken part in the debate, and that the Convention Secretariat had tried to make a synthesis of their contributions, "which is no easy task". (From this synthesis it emerges notably that these organisations are spread into four categories: - political circles or public authorities, including at intra-national level;: 17; - socio-economic circles: 16; - academic circles and reflection circles: 28; - other organisations of civil society, etc. , and NGOs: 99). Without wanting to draw conclusions at this stage, Dehaene came up with a series of three recurrent topics: - the desire for the EU to become closer to the citizens and take decisions at the appropriate levels; - fundamentals in the treaties, possibly by broadening them; - legitimacy and effectiveness of decision-taking, with more qualified majority voting associated with co-decision.
- thanks to national debates. Dehaene recognises the danger that only NGOs organised at European level should be listened to, and thus they will have to "decentralise". The members of the Convention were urged to "provide an overview of what needs doing at national level", and we have already had 22 contributions, he said.
- with contacts with European NGOs. Mr. Dehaene recalled the initiatives taken in this context with the Economic and Social Committee, notably to enable representatives of civil society to dialogue with members of the Presidium.
Some 400 organisations and over 600 people have taken part in the meetings of the eight contact groups that prepared the hearing, under the chair of members of the Presidium of the Convention, Dehaene stressed. He gave the floor to Klaus Haensch MEP who chairs the Social Sector group (the others are - Jean-Luc Dehaene, for citizenship and institutions; - Antonio Vitorino for human rights; - - Ana de Palacio for regions and local authorities; - Giuliano Amato, for universities and laboratories of ideas; - Henning Christophersen for sustainable development; - Giorgios Katiforis for the environment; - Aloisz Peterle for culture).
Klaus Haensch set out certain general conclusions of his group's meeting on 13 June, without wanting to draw final lessons on the "segment" of a very broad debate that he had with some thirty participants (but representative of the "variety" of opinions and interests, he said). All, he went on, insisted in integrating the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Treaty, on "anchoring the dialogue with civil society in the Treaty" and more account being taken of social and employment policy among the EU's objectives. In addition, he was asked to insert into the Treaty the "open co-ordination method" (launched by the Lisbon European Council: Ed.). The debate then opened on the role of services of a general interest, gender equality and the social dimension of the EU. EUROPE will return to this (also see next page).
European Convention: Contributions by Civil Society