Brussels, 30/08/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Citizens Advice Service ECAS is organising (with the support of the Charities Aid Foundation, CAF) its third seminar in Brussels on 13 September: 'Three C's for Participatory Democracy' on European governance and the EU's relations with NGOs. The aim of the seminar is to assess how the new European Commission and the other institutions will relate to civil society and to look at how the principle of participatory democracy (set out in Article 46 of the constitutional treaty) can be put into practice.
The seminar will look at the 'three C's for participatory democracy', namely consultation, contracts and the Constitutional Treaty. The first session will look at the application of Article 46, whereby 'the Commission shall carry out broad consultations with parties concerned in order to ensure that the Union's actions are coherent and transparent.' It will also consider whether concepts of participatory and representative democracy be mutually reinforced through the European Parliament. In the 'Contract' session, the financial connections between the European Commission and NGOs will be looked at. Although the European Convention's white paper ignore financial aspects, the new Financial Regulation will provide greater transparency and discipline, believes the ECAS. The session on the Constitutional Treaty will be addressed by Jean-Luc Dehaene MEP, former Vice-Chairman of the European Convention, on the application of Article 46. For further information: http: //http://www.ecas.org/news/667/default.aspx?id=85.