Brussels, 11/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - Less than one month away from the European elections, what do the citizens of Europe expect, what do they want from the institutions of the European Union? According to the results of a broad public consultation carried out in recent months by the association "European Citizens' Consultations" (a consortium of more than 40 think tanks and non-government organisations from all of the member states, co-funded by the European Commission), the citizens above all expect the EU to fight against climate change, promote renewable energies, fight social inequality, create a common healthcare system, harmonise and improve the systems of education, fight company delocalisations, promote organic, GM-free agriculture, protect consumers, fight illegal immigration and increase the transparency of the institutions.
It is on the basis of these concerns that 15 recommendations were adopted by the participants of the European Citizens' Consultations (ECC) at a consultation held in Brussels on 10-11 May. The presidents of the four main European political parties (EPP, PES, ELDR, Greens) took part in the debates, as did the presidents of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, and the Economic and Social Committee, Mario Sepi. The president of the European Movement International, Pat Cox, moderated the discussions.
The recommendations of the European citizens to the European decision-makers are the results of consultations which started in December 2008 with the launch of an internet debate on the future of Europe. In March of this year, the principal results of this debate were discussed at conferences held in all 27 member states, each of which drew up its own list of definitive recommendations for the European institutions. The 15 recommendations with the most support were adopted and presented in Brussels on Monday. They can be seen at http://www.european-citizens-consultations.eu . (H.B./transl.fl)