No Europe No Party!
By Europe on Tuesday, June 19 2007, 12:29 - Voice of Europe - Permalink
Behind close doors. This is the method our governments have chosen to redesign a new Constitutional Treaty.
On 21 and 22 of June European council will meet in Bruxelles to decide how to move forward (or backward). Despite of transparency and democracy our political leaders are taking very important decisions about our future without any involvement of citizens and of national and European parliaments.
It's incredible that in 2007 democracy in Europe reduced itself in a narrow street where only 27 heads of state and government (with their sherpas) can decide in the name and on behalf of 500 million of European citizens.
It's incredible that European Parliament the only body directly elected by the people had accepted this method without any formal protest.
It's incredible that European and national political parties didn't trasmit to their members and affiliates the importance of what is going on.
It's incredible that European civil society, with a few exceptions such as European Trade Union Confederation and Union of European Federalists, didn't take any actions or mobilitations to demand a different Europe.
Where are the pro-European French people had voted NO in Constitutional referendum ?
Where are European social forum delegates demanding another Europe ?
It's time to wake up and to stand up for our rights to have a voice in European matters that will affect our everyday life in a substancial way.
It's time to ask a full participation of European citizens through the involvement of their representatives (at national level with national Parliaments and at European level with European Parliament) in a new European Convention with the aim to formulate a new Constitutional text and directly with a pan-European referendum on the European Constitution to be held on the same day as the elections to the European Parliament in 2009.
The proposal of a new intergovernmental conference behind close doors to draft a new version of the Constitutional Treaty is a shame for people who believe in democracy.
The only way out is to say 'basta' to intergovernmental method. 'No more IGC' is the first request to fill the gap of European democracy.
It's time to act for our future and for next generation in Europe and in the world. It's clear that without Europe young people will have no party at all. __ Europe needs a constitution and it's all the European people together who should decide on it! Sign now: http://www.europeanreferendum.eu__
Comments
I can hardly believe the things written in this article but it sounds so "real". The way of politics is nearly the same in Turkey:Big heads arrange everything behind the doors and just as if we are in an experiment they revise after getting the results which usually give so much pain to cavies sorry "citizens"!
Did you read the survey on this published by the financial times?
Can you send us the link or the summary of the survey published by the financial times ?
thank you.
nicola
Absolutely we need a constitution, maybe a little more simple than thε initial text, with president etc. If not, we will be forced to stand at the end of global queue
mmm i think what's happening here & now in cafe babel - the community - and in european youthmediadays and similar initiatives is a clear step towards the demands presented above, so keep up the good work:> I think the forums and public discussion are what was missing
Thank you very much for the link. I'll do my best to promote it among portuguese people.