

CoE/Vatican Conference for Human Rights' Universality, eve of Key UN/Geneva+ECHR-EU/Strasbourg moves
*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- During a Well-Attended Symposium, in a Full Conference Room at the "Palace of Europe" in Strasbourg, an exceptional Cooperation between the PanEuropean CoE and the Vatican, on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights (1948-2018), focused into demonstrating how Topical is, in fact, the issue of the "Universality of Human Rights" Nowadays, at the Eve of 2 particularly Important Sessions organized in Parallel by the UNO at nearby Geneva, and by the CoE here in Strasbourg, on Monitoring several "Hot" Cases of Human Rights' Violations both in Europe and across the World.

Emeritus Professor at Panthéon-Assas University, Paris II, Emmanuel Decaux, who has played an important role for the adoption of UNO's landmark International Convention on the Drama of "Missing" Persons, and still is a Key Member of the World Council on Human Rights in Geneva, reminded, inter alia, how even the Spiritual Father of the European Convention of Human Rights, René Cassin, (whose Institute is located in Strasbourg), had strived to promote the Universality of Human Rights at an International Level, being against the risk to practically restrict them, more or less, only inside Europe.

The President of the PanEuropean Court of Human Rights, (involving 47 Member States), Guido Raimondi, observed, inter alia, that the relevant European Convention clearly Protects Any Person living in the jurisdiction of CoE's Member Countries, already from its 1st Article, and that Governments are Responsible not only inside their National Territories, but also in Other Areas which may come under their "Control". Moreover, a recently developed "Judges' Diplomacy", by bringing often Together the main Regional Human Rights Courts of Various Continents in the World, can Help to develop common Standards.

Vatican's "Foreign Minister", Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, (who knows personally quite well Strasbourg), Warned against 3 main Challenges faced Nowadays by the Universality of Human Rights : (1) Certain Economic Policy Views which are against Social Inclusion, (2) Claims that Multi-Culturalism might allow for Exceptions on Human Rights, and (3) Cases of States or Areas where Serious and Massive Violations of Human Rights have been Tolerated for too long.
He concluded mainly by Focusing on Pope Francis' key concept of "Integral Human Development", closely linked with the traditional Christian conception of "Human Dignity", "based on the Natural law inscribed on Human Hearts, and present in Different Cultures and Civilizations", as also his predecessor, Emeritus Pope Benedict had said during a Previous Anniversary of the International Declaration for Human Rights, at UNO's General Assembly, Back on 2008, in order to fight against Dangers of "Relativism".
Despite (or, perhaps : Because of...) an Exceptionally fertile and Timely context of Manifold on-going Developments involving "Hot" Issues of Human Rights, these Days, both inside the CoE (f.ex. : its Comittee of Ministers' supervision of the execution of ECHR's judgments next week in Strasbourg), and the UNO, (f.ex., the Beginning of the Annual Session of the World Council for Human Rights at nearby Geneva from this week), as well as in EU Parliament, (f.ex., among others, also a Controversy about the real situation in Hungary, etc, debated on Tuesday and Wednesday during this Weekly Plenary in Strasbourg, etc), surprisingly, Contrary to what had happened in the Past, when Mgr. Gallagher had visited the CoE at a Previous, Different Occasion, this Time there was No Press-Point organized.
Nevertheless, well-informed Vatican's sources, speaking "off the record" with "Eurofora", awknowledged the fact that a Serious Challenge for Human Rights Nowadays, having a Universal Character, are the Risks that may present eventual Abuses of Modern Genetic Technologies, particularly after the Recent, Controversial Discoveries also of "Gene Editing", whose Present and Future depend, inter alia, also from the development of Scientists' "Consciousness".
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Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, and Vatican's Permanent Representative to the CoE, Msgr. Paolo Rudelli)
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Facing a 70% Abstention threat in 2009 Election, EU endorses EuroFora's idea for Citizens' debates on crucial EU decisions !
- Different views on "Europe's Future", should be debated among Citizens at June 2009 EU Elections, thanks to political Parties' "Manifestos", says EU Parliament's Report
A main idea, initiated and promoted by EuroFora's founders since 1997: the vital need to develop European Citizens' democratic right to actively participate in multilingual debates on EU decisions, is formally endorsed by the EU from 2009 !
The move is a key attempt to overcome "catastrophic" Polls which warn that only ...30% of Citizens are ready to vote in the forthcoming June 2009 EU Election ! This was revealed by EU Commission's vice-president, in charge of Communication policy, Margot Wallstrom, during a "hot" meeting of EU Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education, during the December 2008 Strasbourg session.
Wallstrom faced criticism, but also suggestions from various MEPs, naturally worried by Abstention threats which herself found even "worse" than in 1999 or 2004...
A Report on "Active Dialogue with Citizens",examined at the same time, presented some useful practical tips, on "facilitating Interviews"; etc., but also a potentialy important call to "incorporate the conclusions of ...debates...into (EU) policies, and take into consideration the expectations that Citizens have of the EU when deciding". An amendment even implies that Citizens' participation in debates on EU decisions is a democratic "Right".
More importantly, it finds that a Debate "on the Future of Europe", (as French President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked since 2007), would be a good idea " for the 2009 European parliamentary Elections", because "clarifying the political differences between the EU political parties would help citizens to identify themselves with, and choose between various concepts", for which "all parties (should) present their Manifesto".
A "Joint political declaration on Communicating Europe in Partnership", co-signed by "the European Parliament, Council and ... Commission", confirms that they "attach the utmost importance to improving communication on EU issues", by "enabling European citizens to exercise their right to participate in the democratic life of the Union, in which decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizens, observing the principles of pluralism, participation, openness and transparency".
This should "enable Citizens to exercise their right to express their views and to participate actively in the public Debate on European Union issues", while also "promoting the respect of multilingualism". In this regard, EU confirms its "wish to develop synergies with national, regional and local authorities as well as with representatives of Civil Society".
It's since 1997 that a group of EuroFora's founders have officially presented a pioneer Project (then called "EIW", for "Europe in the World"), which aimed to develop Strasbourg's "Polyphonic music", by providing "Interactive information", on "main issues ... during the Decision-making process of European Organizations which engage in Transparent and Public Democratic Debates"
This should be done, inter alia, by "exploring the potential of New Communication Tools (mainly Internet)", as well as classic-form debates, the 1997 EIW pioneer project's anounced in its "Synopsis". It was formally "accepted for evaluation" by EU Commission in Brussels in order to be examined for a grant in the framework of the "Research/Technology/Development (RTD) Programme in the field of Information Technologies", then called "ESPRIT", as a "Best Practice Pilot Project".

But the vital, urgent Political need for EU to search new, efficient ways to reach the People and interact with European Citizens, was really felt in Brussels and elsewhere only after the unprecedented in History 1999 and 2004 Majority Abstention in EU Elections, followed by 3 "NO" in Referenda in France, the Netherlands and Ireland, on 2005 and 2008...
In this New Political Landscape, we prepared a new, actualised and more developed version of our initial idea, in a simplified and more efficient form, thanks also to a large Experience accumulated during many years of EU/CoE/UNO Press work and Multi-lingual debates, with the New project "EuroFora" :
On 2006 we presented in Public its main lines during Questions/Replies that we raised at two Press Conferences by EU Commission President, Jose Baroso, and mainly EU Commission's vice-President, in charge of Communication policy, Margot Wallstrom, together with EU Parliament's vice-president, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, in Strasbourg, (Videos available), and we reminded it at various brief contacts with Commissioner Wallstrom in 2007 and 2008.
Meanwhile, a new Text was also presented for "EuroFora" Project mainly to certain Political and other personalities, at European, National or Regional/Local level, mainly in 2007, but also in 2008..
Now, after the unexpected 2008 Irish "NO", and before the 2009 EU Elections, which are due to be of exceptionally crucial importance for Europe's Future, the moment has obviously come to launch that project, progressively, but in real practice.
Whoever really cares for Europe and its Citizens is welcome to join, in one way or another. Only anti-European, anti-democratic, obscure or ignorant groups might oppose or attempt to "steal" and deviate the main idea.
But European Citizens, incited by enlightened political leaders, are those who will finally write the real History.