One of the morning sessions of the conference focused on how the different stakeholders could be used better to bring the EU policy debates closer to EU citizens' preoccupations.
Luis Herrero-Tejedor, Spanish MEP and rapporteur of the Parliament's report on the Commission's White Paper on communication, accused the Commission of wanting to build a communication policy without a legal basis. "The White Paper is an alibi by the Commission in order to get more money", was Mr. Herrero's harsh verdict.
Benoit Derenne of the Foundation for Future Generations presented the "European Citizens' Panel" initiative as a good example of a new technique to reconnect to citizens. Launched in May 2006 with support of the EU Committee of the Regions, the European Citizens' Panel intends to bring together citizens from 9 regions to prepare a report on the future of rural areas in tomorrow's Europe.
Elodie Fazie, speaking for the Civil Society Contact Group, stated that citizens' participation cannot work via representative democracy only but warned also that "more participation is not always better participation". She criticised the Commission's "mushrooming of initiatives" and advocated the role of independent mediators in the debate about the EU's future".
In the afternoon, the 300 conference participants witnessed a very lively and controversial debate on the question how to bring more dynamic to plan D.
Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström opened the debate by pointing to the positive results of her Plan D. Several countries have organised debates with citizens and the Commission's special internet site received over 8000 contributions ("80-90% of young men", said the Commissioner).
Giles Merritt of Friends of Europe was less optimistic. "The debate is not bringing us anywhere", he said. "How can the Commission bring fire to the hearts of European citizens again?", was Merritt's provocative question.
Willy De Backer editor-in-chief of EurActiv read the French and Dutch "no's" in a different light. "Maybe they are the first real signs of an emerging European Public Spere?", he said. Refering to recent Eurobarometer surveys, he asked whether it might be possible "that citizens support the European project, but not this European project".
Several speakers from the audience also criticised the lack of vision for a redefinition of the European project.
Daniel Spoel of the Permanent Forum for Civil Society and co-author of a book called "Plan B. Changer la gouvernance Européenne" pointed to the big gap between the political compromise as laid down in the Constitutional Treaty ("il n'y a que du technique", he said) and the realities of citizens. "There is no future vision", Spoel concluded.
In a final reaction to the discussion, Commissioner Wallström reconfirmed her ambition to involve European citizens more in the debate on the future of the EU. "It is no longer enough to have a small political elite involved... we are not enough engaging with civil society".
