Cafébabel Brussels takes the pulse of European Civil Society
Cafébabel Brussels journalists participated in two major meetings between European
institutions and civil society: The closing of the European Year of the Citizen in Vilnius on 12 13 December 2013 organized by the European Commission and the European Day for Civil
Society on 18 March 2014 hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee. On the
eve of European elections, what is the state of the dialogue between European civil society
and the European Union?
A two day review of the European Year of the Citizen 2013 in Vilnius
A jumble of more than a hundred participants of all origins and organizations held
discussions during six panels on issues dedicated to the place of civil society in European
policy building and a review of the European year dedicated to its citizens.
In fact, civil society has never been more active and mobilized. With the crisis, it has even
taken on a new dimension: that of mitigating shortfalls due to budget cuts and austerity
policies across Europe. Through the development of tools that can be used for citizen
participation, the e-participation platform, many organizations can work in a more horizontal
and transnational fashion, placing the citizen at the centre of Europe’s destiny.
So how to mobilize European citizens is no longer the real question. In effect, the various
projects presented at the various sessions have shown civil society's real capacity to
organize, and it is up to the EU to effectively take their participation and demands into
account, necessitating a reassessment of European institutional functioning and its
orientation towards a real dialogue with European civil society. In this context, it seems
essential to create these new technological tools with the participation of citizens and not to
impose them on them, as citizens must be able to express themselves and engage in the
issues of their choice and not simply be consulted from time to time by European decisionmakers on issues in an imposed framework. Voir le rapport cafebabel de la cérémonie de
clôture de l'année européenne du citoyen 2013
The closing's two days were marked by the official submission of the recommendations of
the European Citizens' Alliance by its president, Jean-Marc Roirant, to Commissioner Mme
Reding (European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship). The
recommendations hinged on three major themes: Active European citizenship as a project
for society, an open and inclusive European democracy and European democracy, three
democratic pillars, and were formulated by an alliance of citizens and organizations across
Europe. At issue? That the European Commission takes these recommendations into
account when formulating policies and that the European Union be more democratic.
A day dedicated to European Civil Society in Brussels (EESC)
On this past 18 March, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) organized the
European Civil Society Day.
It was the occasion for the European Year of Citizens Alliance (EYCA) to take stock of 2013
and future perspectives on the involvement of civil society for the second half of the EU2020
strategy.
The EESC, who is holding the event, is also participating in the development of the New Plan
for Europe, which proposes five key actions to consolidate an economic, social, democratic
and citizen's European Union.
At the day's opening, Jean-Marc Roirant, president of the Alliance (EYCA), noted the silence
on the part of Mme Reding (European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and
Citizenship), to whom he officially submitted the Alliance's recommendations at the
European Year of the Citizen's closing ceremony in Vilnius.
Nonetheless, this day was the occasion for many European civil society actors to regroup
around three principal themes:

An economy for Europe and not a Europe for the economy
This panel noted that European Union governance rests in technocrats’ hands. Civil society is
not sufficiently involved, or too inadequately involved, in the European decision-making
system. The European Economic Union is perceived as not acting in the interests of its
citizens.

A social Europe for its citizens
This workshop was an opportunity to respond to three fundamental questions:
How to construct a social face for the Economic Union? How to link measures taken at the
European level with the needs of citizens, and how to respond rapidly and effectively to the
urgent social crisis?

For an active European citizenship
This discussion, centering on the efficiency of the tools put in place by European institutions,
observed that the institutions should allow for active citizen participation and a true taking
into account of citizen's demands.
Building a sustainable and effective dialogue between institutions and European civil society
is a condition central to getting out of the crisis and rebuilding citizens' confidence in their
institutions.
Voir les rapports de cafebabel bruxelles sur la journée européenne de la société civile
The same message was formulated three months earlier in Vilnius. It's not a question of
interesting citizens in Europe but of finding the way to listen to them.
The day was concluded by the appearance of the three group presidents of the EESC.
All three insisted upon the urgency of the situation, on the eve of European elections, to put
the necessary tools and methods into place on a European level, taking into account citizens'
interests and demands.
The accumulation of missed meetings between citizens and the European Union is
dangerous, especially on the eve of European elections. In effect, the European Union is
marked by a major democratic crisis, and the loss of confidence by citizens towards their
institutions will surely be palpable in the elections. The complexity of the democratic tools
put into place since the Lisbon Treaty (especially the European citizenship initiative)
discourages those who try to use it. The responses given by institutions are too slow and
badly adapted to citizens' needs (increase in youth unemployment rate, social crisis, etc.)
Recently, negotiations over the Transatlantic Treaty between the United States and the EU,
without consulting or informing citizens, testify to a new denial of democracy. In the face of
such a burning subject, no response has been given either by member states, nor the major
political parties involved in the European Elections. It is therefore a fact that the heavy
burden of informing, discussing and elaborating ways for citizens to participate, rests upon
the shoulders of European civil society. If this civil society continues to organize in the face of
Europeans' urgent needs, the institutional framework of the European Union should
therefore evolve in order to really allow its citizens to participate in Europeans' common
future.
At two major discussions that brought together the main candidates for presidency of the
European Commission (E.C.) see the Cafebabel article on the subject: ÉLECTIONS
EUROPÉENNES : UNE MINUTE POUR CONVAINCRE, who for the first time will be chosen
according to the results of the European elections, the key words used by all the candidates
are, "Europe of its citizens" and "more democratic." The Communication is well developed,
and furthermore there have never been so many "citizen" parties or gatherings at the
elections. The issue now, however, is to put citizen participation into practice in the
European decision-making process.
Auteurs
Laura Leprêtre : lepretre.laura@gmail.com
Julia Manuel : julia0manuel@gmail.com