Editorial
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Social citizenship needed, and fast...
by David Lopez
"Because of the absence of a real debate on the future of Europe in the political discourse of most French parties, but also in ones abroad, incomprehension among European citizens grows. Sometimes, this incomprehension even transforms itself into anger, rejection of politics, or fallback on ones own problems.
It is urgent to shift the European approach, and reinforce the role played by citizens and their organisations. The European construction should not be left to experts, but handed over to citizens' forum, grounded on the reality of his and her life, rather than on image and communication...
The European Civic Forum's Manifesto is a wonderful tool to start debating and reaching out to our political leaders."
The European Civic Forum welcomes all contribution, which will only enrich the Manifesto.
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News from the European Civic Forum
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The European Civic Forum hosted its first European Democratic Citizenship Awards on Saturday 3rd May 2014 in Strasbourg City Hall.
The ceremony was hosted by the Strasbourg City Council. Roland Ries, Mayor of Strasbourg, ECF President, Jean-Marc Roirant, MEP Catherine Trautmann, and Nawel Rafik-Elmrini, Deputy Mayor, who has supported the initiative since the very beginning, as well as Brigitte Degen from the European Commission task force on the European Year of Citizens were also present to reward the winners.
This first edition of the awards was quite an adventure. The open call for nominations was launched merely by mid-March. Despite this short timing, more than 10 000 votes were casted on line between 14th and 25th April to reward :
- Right 2 Water for the NGO of the Year
- Goteo for the NGO of the Year
- Pedro Santos and Joao Labrincha for the Personality of the Year
- Europe’s Café for the Citizen Media of the Year
Great moment of celebration, this first edition was all in all a success, particularly with regards to the laureates and their day-to-day struggles to get ownership of the public space and help create civic-driven social change. Quite some lessons to be learned though, in terms of gender balance! We would like to say our deep regret that no woman was nominated as such in the personality of the year category and we can only hope next years’ editions will largely compensate this absence.
And now that the dice are rolling, we really hope that this European Democratic Citizenship Awards will help connect, give visibility, but also public recognition and support to all those who work to improve the lives of our communities in terms of democracy, social justice and access to rights. Read more... |
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Rethinking Europe, what for ?
On 4th May 2014, the European Civic Forum was present at the European Parliament’s Open doors, along with the laureates of the European Democratic Citizenship Awards 2014, to showcase their activities and initiatives and engage in a dialogue with the citizens roaming around in the Parliament’s halls.
After the debate held between citizens and MEPs in the hemicycle, more of a question-answer, MEPs Catherine Trautmann, Marie-Christine Vergiat and ALDE candidate Quentin Dickinson joined us to talk about the low level of trust in the European project in current times of raising inequalities, take stock of the solidarity agenda in Europe and explore ways to make progress and, finally, look into possible means to build a more democratic Union, as underlined by Jan Robert Suesser in his introductory remarks.
See their answers and opinions here, they're worth it! |
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ALDA. EYCA Recommendations in the European Year of Development
On 7-9 April, Jan Robert Suesser headed up to Brussels to represent the ECF at ALDA event within the project WTD – Working Together for Development, aimed at bridging the European Year of Citizen 2013 - which is on-going in 2014 with the implementation of the recommendations elaborated, to the European Year of Development 2015. A perfect continuation, as development will only be defeated if it fails to provide democracy and civic participation with efficient tools. Read more... |
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News from the Network
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CIDEM. Europe 2.0. Youth participation in EU elections. Video Contest.
Always looking for new means to develop citizens’ participation in European democracy, in the frame of its Europe 2.0 project supported by the European parliament, the CIDEM invited ALL French secondary school students to participate in a video contest on the theme: “If I were a European member of Parliament…” The competition was won by the European class of Terminale of the Lycée Pierre Corneille in La Celle-Saint-Cloud.
The title of their video: “The MEP, a special kind of animal…”; their reward: getting to film two videos together with a team of professionals, aiming at encouraging people, and especially young ones voting for the first time, to participate in EU elections this May.
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Forum Youth Club of the European Social Forum Cyprus
“Did you say Europe? Did I hear Street Art? What if we combine the two?” That’s precisely what the young people of the Cyprus European youth club has decided to do, describing themselves as an independent club without any strings attached to any political or otherwise direction, free people who have a dream to change our Europe for the better.
The European social Forum of Cyprus (ESFC) is a result of 21 years of hard social work by a team of young people from Active Citizens that took part in many NGOs experienced in the Social course of the Cypriot population in all levels. Network of NGOs, it describes itself as a “democratic and polyphonic platform” which covers various interests on all the possible subjects that preoccupy civil society.
European democracy suffers from disenchantment and is the prey of regressive populism; European democracy suffers from a lack of legitimacy and citizens feel they have no say in the decision made behind closed doors in Brussels. To change these beliefs? Bring Europe in the Streets! Tag it on walls and paint it on pavements! In the framework of the “European youth in Action program”, this project aims at upgrading the quality of life of every stroller in the city center. Combined with music and singing, dancing and theatre, graffiti will be our tool to bring a fresh air not only to their town Limassol, but to Cyprus as a whole, and hopefully inspire beyond and throughout Europe.
They are looking for partners for the next ERASMUS + .
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CDI. Research on providers of non-formal education in the Republic of Macedonia
The Alliance for Development of Adult Education and Lifelong Learning of the Republic of Macedonia (www.srov.mk), in collaboration with The Community Development Institute - Macedonia (www.irz.org.mk) is implementing a research that will address the existing public policies on Lifelong learning in Macedonia. More specifically, its topic is “Research on Legal Frame for Adult Education and Providers of Adult Education in Macedonia”.
The purpose of the research will be detecting the inconsistencies in the implementation of the Law on Adult Education, Strategy and Action Plan and comparing practical experience of the providers of Adult Education and practices defined in the Law and bylaws on Adult Education. Taking place on a period of 6 months, the most important outcome this research will provide is recommendations on legislative changes and more successful implementation of the existing strategies, as well as an insight of the real situation of Adult Education in Macedonia which will include mapping different providers of Adult Education, quality of offered Adult Education programs, trends of verification of programs and institutions and knowledge of the legal frame on Adult Education.
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News from the Institutions
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European Court of Justice declares Data Protection Directive invalid
The joint cases brought before the Court by Irish and Austrian judges both concern the validity of national measures transposing the directive. The judicial review on the contested validity of the directive was carried out in the light of article (respect for private and family life), article 8 ‘protection of data) and article 11 (freedom of expression and information) of the Charter of fundamental rights. Because retention of data may be used to help identify a person, the time and place where the communication took place, as well as to establish the frequency of communication, it allows national authorities to interfere in a particularly serious manner in the fundamental rights to respect for private and family life and protection of personal data. The authority acts without informing the person concerned, a fact likely to generate a sentiment of a constant surveillance. Read more... |
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New Directive on Enforcement of Posted Workers Rights
The new directive completing directive 96/71/CE aims at improving their working conditions, namely by ensuring a stricter control on practices by service providers, through an enhanced cooperation between Member States, framing inspection on work places and establishing rules to sanction abuses, now allowing the worker who considers him or herself victim of an abuse to intent an action before the jurisdictions of the host Member State or the Member State of origin, and this even after the end of the contract. Read more... |
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Transatlantic trade Agreement: getting closer, but what is it?
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TAFTA/TTIP) presently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States, aims at removing trade barriers in a wide range of economic sectors to make it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US. But what is it exactly? What is expected? Just another example of liberal diktat, an affront to democracy...? Read more... |
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European Elections
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 European Elections 2014 and the next Commission President
And European Politics become faces… By changing the procedure to name the next EU Commission president in accordance with results obtained in EU Parliament elections, and then asking that EU commissioners be chosen from the elected members of Parliament, a positive step is taken for the democratic Europe we have hoped for. However, these new procedures are a translation of what happens at national level. The consequences are double, both negative and positive. Indeed, if the progress is evident in terms of EU democracy where one can distinguish the light of a European parliamentary system, by addressing European citizens in a language they know from national procedures, are we not taking the risk of scaring them by enhancing the belief that the European Union is gradually becoming a supranational State? And is that what the EU is about? The final decision has yet not been made, but a priori, if the EU is to develop into anything that goes beyond minimal intergovernmentalism, it is in a Federation rather than a State. The debate organised by Eurovision between the candidates nominated by the EU Parliament political groups on 15th May will have to be closely followed: reactions of the audience will enable us to assess the future perhaps more than the content of the debate itself.
Find out more about each candidate here
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Agenda
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