Published Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 14:34
by
franciscopolo 
in European democracy & diversity (331 views and 0 comments)
At the same time
I start
writing this article the ratification process for the Lisbon
Treaty is starting at the Spanish Parliament. I can hear the
Foreign Affairs Ministry starting his discourse...
Probably (no to say “for sure”), tomorrow the Spanish newspapers will show on their front pages the results of the Spain vs. Russia soccer game at the Eurocup. The matter of the Treaty will also be shown in those newspapers but it will not be given so much importance.
As you probably know, the Lisbon Treaty is important due to many things: The Fundamental Rights Chart becomes binding, the Treaty creates a common space of liberty, security and justice (it was formerly intergovernmental), the EU gains in its capability to create an international interlocution by creating both the positions of the permanent President of the European Counsel and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, among other things. But there is something much more important.
This Treaty is specially important because it makes the EU to be more democratic. It creates the civil initiative so a million of citizens will be able to suggest the creation of new rules; the European Parliament, our direct representative in the EU gains power and almost nothing can be...
read morePublished Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 09:28
by
Joel Cordier
in European democracy & diversity (534 views and 2 comments)
« The Lisbon Treaty
is now dead », voilà ce que déclarait vendredi Eamon Gilmore,
leader du Parti Travailliste irlandais. En effet, après les « NON »
néerlandais et français de 2005 sur le traité constitutionnel, les
citoyens irlandais ont décidé de rejeter, par 53,4%, le Traité de
Lisbonne.
Alors que « le cadavre est encore chaud », certains échafaudent déjà des stratégies pour contourner le choix démocratiquement exprimé par le peuple irlandais. Personnellement, je considère que ce choix doit être respecté. En effet, je veux croire que le « NON » exprimé jeudi dernier n’est pas un « NON » à l’Europe mais avant tout la manifestation du désir d’une autre Europe.
Comment peut-on espérer convaincre les citoyens européens du bien fondé d’avancées contenues dans des traités alors qu’ils sont confrontés chaque jour à plus de « flexiprécarité » au travail, à la difficulté de couvrir leurs besoins élémentaires (alimentation, logement, chauffage,…) et à des services qui...
read morePublished Friday, May 30, 2008 at 17:25
by
Editor
in European democracy & diversity (463 views and 0 comments)
“How to improve the European project while taking into account the interests of people and countries?” This was the departure point of the input for the PES consultation given by Jean-Louis Bianco, member of parliament and president of the French Alpes-de-Haute-Provence district, and Nicolas Cadène.
“For the last years, euro-scepticism strengthened itself due to both political and economic reasons”, Bianco and Cadène say, adding that “we should “think European” as only the EU can balance the negative effects of globalisation, such as the lack of democratization in some regions of the world.
Thus, two approaches are proposed. One is to forge a European cultural model through three vectors: education, a wider use of the media's capabilities to disseminate a common identity and the reinforcement of European symbols.
“Along the French presidency of the EU, the French PS – together with its European counterparts – should materialize a common European collective conscience, needed for a political Europe”, stresses Bianco and Cadène.
The second approach relates to the EU democratisation process. Common interests should be emphasised ...
read morePublished Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 10:36
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (518 views and 1 comments)
Last Wednesday
evening around 18h30. In the renovated Brigittines chapel in
Brussels Sp.a co-workers are getting nervous. This
evening we present our input for the PES manifesto. We have
worked hard to provide for an interesting program (attached), but
can it compete with the beautiful spring evening?
At 7 o’clock our fears prove to be unfounded. Sp.a International
Secretary Saïd
El Khadraoui can introduce the evening before approximately
80 people. We kick off with a debate about New Social
Europe. Europe has done pioneering work on certain domains,
but it turns out that a lot more can be gained at European level.
For example, the health services directive that we are still
waiting for. There is no discussion about the need for a more
social approach of the Lisbon objectives. But ambitious and
enforceable European objectives concerning social themes are a
logical next step. The conclusions run parallel: Europe has a lot
of instruments at his disposal, but lacks ambition and
decisiveness when it comes to social themes. Political action
pays off, that becomes clear in dossiers such as the adjusted
Bolkenstein directive. As...
Tags: democracy, energy, environment, health, political parties, transparency, treaty, welfare
File:
manifesto_spa_FR.pdf,
flyer_spa.pdf
Published Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 16:15
by
Duncan Anderson
in New Social Europe (525 views and 0 comments)
I was never in favour of such change when the Blair government
introduced an option for local authorities to have Cabinets and
Scrutiny committees.
I recently sat through a presentation by a Chair of one of the
Scrutiny Committees on our local Unitary Authority. She gave a
very good report and explained how they had discovered some
serious problems in service delivery. The Scrutiny committee was
now working with Council Officers, partners and everybody
involved using sub-committees to both expose the full problem and
present some potential solutions. Knowing the members of the
committee, the potential solutions will make up a substantial
component of the overall solution - they do look at every detail
and are very conscientious.
It strikes me that the EU could look at this model of working,
certainly looking at Scrutiny committees who could scrutinise
both the work of the EU, but also member states. One serious
complaint in the UK is that it appears that nobody else in the EU
seems to apply EU directives as rigorously as us. Part of the
problem is that our Civil Servants seem to like "gold plating" EU
Directives, part is due to opt-outs and part due when other
countries don't apply EU Directives. Scrutiny Committees would
thoroughly exposed this to public scrutiny and therefore
democratic accountability.
A very important part of accountable democracy is a FREE press. Free from the influence of; shareholders, chief executives,...
read morePublished Friday, February 29, 2008 at 09:38
by
davidshoare
in European democracy & diversity (789 views and 2 comments)
I went to the debate "Unity or Diversity? What Europe do we want?" in London earlier this week. The topic was the PES manifesto and democracy and diversity and there was a lot of discussion about democracy in Europe and how we can make it much closer to the people, and more relevant to them. I would like to suggest one of the ways we can do this is by giving the people concerned more of a say in how EU initiatives, particularly regional and social ones, are conducted and where the money goes.
We have had particular success in doing this at the South Bristol
Urban 2 Programme, of which I am proud to have been involved in
and also chaired for two years, where the ultimate decision
making committee that decided what projects to support was made
up of local residents, representatives of community organisations
and particularly young people, of which the programme's main aim
was to support. We also structured it's meetings so that young
people could better access it - the meetings certainly are not
boring and if there was any jargon that anyone did not understand
then you could show a red card and shame the person into
explaining it better! In doing this, we not only made one of the
EU's most innovative programmes,...
Published Monday, February 25, 2008 at 11:33
by
Thomas Lefebvre
in European democracy & diversity (702 views and 1 comments)
The current scandal over alleged misuses of MEP expenses raises key questions for the next PES. The dealing of the scandal has been, so far, a PR disaster for the EP, especially when Pöttering reportedly said: “we want reform but we cannot make this report available to the public if we want people to vote in the European elections next year.” Pöttering is making a big mistake here: it is, on the contrary, the absence of transparency that is fuelling populist and anti-EP commentaries. For instance, the lack of access to the report already lead to cheap eurosceptic articles, on the ‘gravy trains theme’, as highlighted by Jon Worth.
However, there is an opportunity to be taken: the PES could capitalize on the crisis by introducing transparency for MEPs expenses, as it is the case within the House of Commons, in its manifesto. The PES should also pledge to introduce a common status for MEPs assistants who deserve better working rights. Finally, the PES needs to pledge that PES MEPs who misuse their expenses are going to be excluded from the group.
These proposals would put the PES at the forefront of democracy and accountability. It would portray the PES as a modern party which can only help for wining next year elections.
read morePublished Friday, February 8, 2008 at 10:45
by
The3rdColumn
in European democracy & diversity (800 views and 3 comments)
Published Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 16:08
by
Rambert
in European democracy & diversity (985 views and 2 comments)
On the 8th and 9th of
November, the European Parliament organised an “Agora”, a big consultative event with and for
civil society. About 400 representatives of different civil
society organisations had been invited to Brussels by different
committees of the European Parliament, in order to discuss the
institutional novelties of the Reform Treaty and how the European
Union could look like in the future. According to the main
initiators, Gérard Onesta, Vice-President of the European
Parliament, and Jo Leinen, president of the Constitutional Affairs
Committee, it was the first time the Parliament engaged in a
consultation exercise with such a large audience. Divided in five
different workshops, the participants discussed “Tasks”,
“Rights”, “Tools”, “Borders” and “Horizons” of the EU and came up
with conclusions for the closing plenary session.
The debates were quite interesting. Many were centred on the very purpose of the Agora: participatory democracy. Is a consultation...
read morePublished Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 11:18
by
Editor
in European democracy & diversity (974 views and 1 comments)
What is going on in
Brussels? Who is deciding what?Published Friday, October 19, 2007 at 15:05
by
Editor
in European democracy & diversity (1162 views and 3 comments)
Improving democracy
in Europe – an issue brought up again and again during Wednesday’s
closing debate of the PES activist event in Brussels.Published Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 09:30
by
Editor
in European democracy & diversity (889 views and 0 comments)
Tonight Europe‘s
leaders will, hopefully, agree on a European Reform Treaty to
improve the EU’s decision-making. The new treaty is an important
step on the way to strengthening democracy in Europe. But what
will the new treaty mean for socialists and social democrats in
Europe – and for European party politics?
With the new treaty the European Parliament will elect the President of the European Commission in the future. This means that member states will have to take into account the results of the European elections when they nominate a candidate! The citizens will have a much greater influence on the political leadership of the European Union.
The Charter of Fundamental Rights is also incorporated into the treaty framework. The charter has existed since 2000, but with the new treaty Member States will be more committed to abide to it. How can the PES use the charter to promote a more social democratic Europe?
read morePublished Monday, October 8, 2007 at 16:57
by
Editor
in European democracy & diversity (1100 views and 0 comments)
"The EU can only exist if there are committed citizens that participate in the debate - either to agree or disagree. So this is the moment: this is a golden opportunity that socialists give you to reinforce participation. This is the opportunity you can't miss," says Jamila Madeira, member of the European Parliament for Partido Socialista, Portugal.
Hear what else she and other socialists from the European Parliament have to say about Yourspace:
read more
Published Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 15:43
by
chourka
in European democracy & diversity (1073 views and 1 comments)
The initiative launched by the PES is a true revolution in its approach to European politics. For too many years, the voice of grassroots has been confined to the national level without any possibility to work at the higher level. Now, this level is also at people’s reach. A true revolution, I tell you!
The PES activists will make sure this consultation is carried out as closely to the citizens as possible. In the words of Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, European socialists can now listen to the grassroots and make sure that through our action, the European Union becomes an area where the living is good, where it is possible to travel, to live, to study, etc.
read more
Published Tuesday, October 2, 2007 at 10:20
by
Editor
in European democracy & diversity (1007 views and 3 comments)
”We will have a full-fledged party programme of ours which is
not just born out a few people’s mind, but will be a result of a
broad dialogue. I hope you will join us…”
- Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of PES.
read more
Published Tuesday, November 30, 1999 at 00:00
by Asynjen in European democracy & diversity ( comments)
If I had a Euro for every time I heard people say that politicians don't listen to voters then I might just about be rich enough to benefit from the tax policies that the UK Tories are busy unveiling at their party conference. There will be elections to the European parliament in 2009. European and national parties go into those elections with a party programme of things they want to do to make things better.
For the first time ever, a European party is launching a massive public consultation through the internet and through local meetings and activities. The results of this consultation will be fed into the Party of European Socialists priorities and progressive policies for its 2009 election manifesto.
http://thesocialistgroup.blogspot.co...had-euro-for-every-time-i-heard.html
Published Tuesday, November 30, 1999 at 00:00
by henningdotcom in European democracy & diversity ( comments)
contribution to the workings of politics
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/.../is_political_responsiveness_de.html
Published Tuesday, November 30, 1999 at 00:00
by mbauwens in European democracy & diversity ( comments)
The following is I belief a great summary of what it could mean for the left to have strategies that are both adapted to the grave ecological crisis, and to the development of a knowledge economy, based on the emerging 'peer to peer' dynamics which are enabled and empowered by a new type of social-technical platforms.
Part One of the essay is here at
Part Two of the essay is here at
Michel Bauwens
http://www.masternewmedia.org/inform...y-part-1-Michel-Bauwens-20071020.htm
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