IP/06/1533
Brussels, 9 November 2006
Empower – the European Civil Society Forum to make recommendations on how to connect better the European citizens with the European Union On 9 and 10 November, over 300 representatives of the civil society from all across the EU, and Bulgaria and Romania, will meet in Bergamo (Italy) to discuss what measures should be adopted on the European level as a follow-up to the European Commission White Paper on CommunicationPolicy (http://ec.europa.eu/communication_white_paper/doc/white_paper_en.pdf) After the Conference “Understanding European Public Opinion” in Madrid on the 27 October, it will be the second of stakeholder fora in the framework of consultation of the White Paper. The European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström, responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy, will address the conference. Among the speakers are: Bronislaw Geremek MEP, Andrew Duff MEP, Gérard Onesta MEP, Luis Herrero Tejedor MEP, Mario Monti – a former Commissioner for Internal Market and Competition, and Claus Sorensen (Director General DG COMM). Speaking ahead of the Forum, Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström said: “This forum is about the democratic infrastructure for the European Union. Many of the decisions that affect daily life for people in the EU are taken at European level. However, people feel remote from these decisions and European institutions. A truly European political culture – with pan-European political parties and foundations, is still to emerge. Media remain largely national, also due to language barriers; meeting places where Europeans from different Member States can know each other and address issues of common interest are almost inexistent. That is why civil society, public authorities and the European Union institutions need to work together to develop Europe’s place in the public sphere.”
The Forum is expected to adopt concrete suggestions related to the set of priorities outlined in the White Paper. The particular role of NGOs and their networks in connecting people from different countries will be the key issue of the conference, along with the involvement of national, regional and local governments in improving civic education on EU matters and the commitment of public institutions to establishing better channels for dialogue. Special focus will be given to the Internet as a means to developing a European public sphere.
The outcomes of the discussions will be reflected in a European Commission report to be published next March and followed-up by operational action plans from 2007 on.
Full information about the Forum can be found at: http://www.empower06.eu/index.htm
