EUCommissioner Thyssen to EF on Dialogue with Citizens after Juncker call for better Decision-Making

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- On the Occasion of an Exceptional EU Commission's meeting on Ameliorating the EU Decision-Making Process, particularly on Social affairs, followed by a Press Conference with Commission's Head Spokesman, Margarites Schinas, and Key Speaker EU Commissioner Marianne Thyssen, "Eurofora" raised a Question on EU Lisbon Treaty's provisions about prior "Dialogue" with Citizens on European Activities, which stands very Near to our Project.

 EU Commissioner on Social Affairs, Marianne Thyssen, who holds also a Long Experience as former MEP in EU Parliament and Head of Party from Belgium during almost 23 Years (1991-2014), had just reminded the fact that EU Commission's President Juncker announced, in his 2018 "State of the Union" Speech at EU Parliament, that, during this year (2018/2019), EU should take stock of efforts to Improve its Decision-Making process (See Infra), and she was describing how that is concretely translated f.ex. in Social Issues, (Other such Examples being Taxation, Foreign Policy issues, etc).

>>> In her Replies to "Eurofora"s Questions (See Infra), Thyssen was very Keen about "Consultations" of NGOs, Extended Both to EU Citizens, as well as to Various Other Areas of EU Activities, well Beyond Social matters only. But, she appeared a little-bit Tight-liped, as far as a Fully-fledged, real "Dialogue" is concerned (See Infra)...

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 -"If things go as you wish" in relevant Votes inside EU Parliament, "in order to be Supported also by the Public Opinion, should EU Commission, according to your Experience, give an Opportunity, During the Decision-Making Process, as also (EU Commission's President) Juncker had Highlighted on 2018, (Comp. Supra), to Activate, some Articles of the (EU) Lisbon Treaty, which have not yet been used very much, f.ex., Article 8, which says that All EU Institutions - Commission included, but also Others : f.ex. Parliament, etc., should engage in "Regular Dialogue" with Civl Society/Citizens ?", "Eurofora" asked Thyssen

 - "The Best Moment, for that, obviously would be just Before Final Decisions are Taken, in order also to take the pulse, know what are the feelings of the People, and interact with them. How do you feel about that ?", we queried.  

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 - In her Reply, EU Commissioner Thyssen started by going right to some relevant Facts : - "Thank you. President Juncker asked for that, and we are Delivering" : F.ex., "I can give you the Figures on how Many Consultations we do, as EU Commission", she suggested.

 - "And in my domain, of Social Affairs, we always have, Systematically, Consultations, over the Social Partners, also the NGOs, of the Civil Society... We do that also in a Structured way, and on a Bilateral Basis, when they want to see us, we'll receive them".  

 + "And we really pay Attention to that. We are convinced that it's very Important", Thyssen stressed, as a matter of Principle.

 - Indeed, "NGOs are Representing Peuple : they Feel and Know exactly what is going on on the Ground. And Social Partners, i.e. all the Representatives of the Employees and of the Businesses, small and big" (etc), she added, on that Line of thought.  

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 + "Eurofora" went on to Query about a Wider Scope of such Moves : - "According to your Experience, (also as former MEP, Political Leader, etc), Do you think that this should be Extended to Other Areas also, or not ?"

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- "Well, I think that you Have to do it in Every Area !", EU Commissioner Thyssen replied Positively, Welcoming "Eurofora"s suggestion as a matter of General Principle in contemporary EU Action

- "You have to look Which People Represent People (EU Citizens) for these Items", however, she Carefuly advised.

- "What we said also, and this is very Important, when we had a Conference for "a New Start of Social Dialogue", we promised also Partners to Consult them Broadly on all Social Items, where we have an Obligation to do it, according to the Treaty".

=> Indeed, "We Consult them on many Other Items : On Energy Policy, for instance, because they are representatives for Many Citizens, so it's Always Good to Listen to them".

- "But there are also various Other Areas, where the NGO Directive" plays,  "my Collegues do it, I can really Confirm that".

+ "And we have Also Public Consultations", Thyssen added.  

- "On the Web. I Know, this is what it is...", she Realistically Acknowledged, showing that there is certainly Room for Ameliorations...

- "But, at least, it gives to (EU) Citizens also the Possibility to Tell us (EU) what they Want, what they Think, or what their Reflexions are on our Propositions", she interestingly Concluded.

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    Thyssen's latest Replies were, obviously, particularly Interesting.

    However, Both from "Eurofora"'s Project's point of view, and from that of EU's Lisbon Treaty's itself, (especially when it clearly speaks about "Dialogue" : Comp. Sypra), it's obviously of great Importance to include also :

 - Not just an Exceptional, or Precarious Consultation, depending on the "Good Will" of an EU Commissioner or another (etc), but an Ensured and Generalized Interaction, considered as Both Useful for the Public Administrations' involved, and a kind of "Right" for those EU Citizens who are due to be affected by the imminent Decisions ;

+ and, Furthermore, not only the simple Reception of EU Citizens' reactions, but Also (and, in many cases : the Most Interesting) the Replies of EU Institutions to Citizens' relevant and legitimate Questions, Claims and/or Arguments : I.e. a Real Exchange, a Real and serious "Dialogue".

    Because, Otherwise, there may be a Risk to Face the Paradox of an EU Administration ready to Hear you, ...but Not so much to Reply to what you've just said !  

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    This Issue is Particularly Interesting as it was raised by "Eurofora" precisely on the occasion of an EU Commission's Meeting officially dedicated also on how to Ameliorate the "EU Decision-Making" process, (Comp. Supra), towards prior Dalogue with EU Citizens, in the Direction of what we had Earlier evoked with the President of EU Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker himself, at a meeting in nearby Germany (Offenbug), where had participated also Chancellor Angie Merkel and Wolfgang Schaüble, (who became, soon afterwards, the New President of the German Parliament [Bundestag] in Berlin : See, f.ex. http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/schaublejunckerandmerkel.html, etc).

    Schäuble, Previously, in a Joint Conference at the CoE in Strasbourg, on EU's Future, together with the President of the Biggest European Political Party, that of CristianDemocrats/EPP, Joseph Daul, had clearly Stressed that even the "Avant-Guard" of EU's Integration, inside the "€uroArea", could not really succeed to efficiently Strengthen Europe, unless it also "Democratized" further its way of functionning, (See: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/schaubledauloneupoliticalunion.html, etc).

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