Merkel's choice for EU Future, Dr Schuster to EuroFora: Multi-level EU Identity + June 2010 deadline

Starting from a common Foreign-Security policy, and using a "Multi-level Governance" according to issues (fex. Climate change, etc), EU should combine together all its European, National and Local levels of action, helping People to be and feel "Europeans" while also keeping their particular identities.

Schuster is fond of the idea that Europe's Identity (a key-concept in French President Sarkozy's call for a debate on EU's Future) isn't only forged from the top, but it also grows from grassroots' level upwards : 

Starting f.ex. by the way we raise our Children, and practice Democracy even at a Local level, Schuster (who is also Mayor of nearby Stuttgart) ilustrated during CoE's PanEuropean Congress of Local and Regional Authorities' sesssion this week in Strasbourg.

 

The EU wisemen's committee holds a 2008 mandate from EU Council to reflect on what kind of Europe we would have in the Future, and, by so-doing, inevitably deal with the issues of a "Political" Europe with an "Identity", or not : A compromise initially proposed by French President Sarkozy, and accepted by EU Commission's President Barroso and EU Council, in order to continue Turkey's expensive negotiations with the EU, but with a crystal-clear idea on where Europe and its Citizens are heading to.

Meanwhile, Sarkozy has also proposed similar debates to EU Parliament, while European Citizens already expressed People's wish, after 4 Electoral votes in France on 2007, also in June 2009 EU Elections, as well as in September 2009 German Elections..
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Asked if there is a hope to "revitalize now" EU Wise-men's work "after the recent EU Parliament's elections", mostly won by parties favorable to a clear European Identity, (followed by German, Greek, Bulgarian, a.o. national elections), Schuster reply to "EuroFora" appeared to be of a careful optimism :

- "I think we have a lot of things to do, I'm sure",  Schuster stressed from the outset.

Particularly "with Lisbon Treaty, (which) is a very good step forward", he added.

- Meanwhile, "the (EU wisemen) Committee meets every Month",

- So that "we might issue a (1st) Report, which will be "presented to EU Council", on June Next Year" 2010.

- "I don't know yet where it may be presented : It may be in Spain, because of the (forthcoming) Spanish EU chairmanship (1-6/2010). But it should be ready on June"

- "So it's a limited Time", Shuster warned.

As far as the advancement of EU Wisemen's work is concerned, - "I think that we are in good way", but still far away from having finished all yet, he observed.

- In particular, European "Identity is an issue", he observed.

- "But it depends on what "Identity" means. Because everyone of us has an identity, but at different levels : - We are Europeans, and f.ex. we are Germans, we are Stuttgart's people, etc. so we have" to find ways to combine all that.

Asked by "EuroFora" if he thinks that time has come to forge a common European Identity, Schustel replied rather positively :

- "For most of the People, yes : They feel as Europeans". But they feel also fex. Romanian, or French people, and then, they feel too as Stuttgart people f.ex. : Multi-level, that's an interesting idea, respecting differencies, etc".

 The concept of "Multi-Level Governance" seems, indeed, to play a key importance in Schuster's thought :

- "At an EU mutual level, we have to work much stronger together in all fields, starting f.ex. with Foreign policy. Security policy, etc,", he stressed from the outset.

- But "also to link ...a sustainable Multi-Level Governance, so that we can tackle several problems much better, such as, fex. Cimate Change, in International and European frameworks, but also National or even Local initiatives, they too have to be combined" together, he added

Replying to "EuroFora"'s question : Why Merkel chose a Mayor from Strasbourg's neighborhood : Stuttgart, to deal with EU's future, Schuster pointed at the role that Cities play in the construction of Europe, both historicaly and today :

-  "Now that Lisbon Treaty's ratification ends, this is a very good step forward, so that we have a base to start from the Towns, in a bottom-up approach, not only from the top to the bottom, but also bottom - up", from a grassrouts level upwards, towards national and european levels, replied Schuster.

- "European Identity cannot be all imposed from the Top, but much of it grows from Local grassroots", stressed, meanwhile, German Interior State Secretary, Peter Altmaier, linking Europe to "Ancient Greek Democracy" and "Polis" (City), as the "1st form of engaged Political Community, in proximity to free Citizens".

    Significantly, the official motive of Schuster's venue to Strasbourg was this time to simply speak about a PanEuropean Network of "Cities for Children", that he created as Mayor of Stuttgart, because he felt the need to develop Child-friendly policies in all European towns :

    - "Children are a good opportunity to think about the Future", Germany's representative to EU wisemen committee on Europe''s Future stressed in his speech at CoE's Congres of Local/Regional Authorities,  the same day that it celebrated CoE's 60th Anniversary and 20 Years since Berlin wall's fall, which led to Europe's reUnification around Values as Democracy and Human Rights, represented now at the CLRAE by the "Local Democracy week" and the struggle against Violence to Children.

    European Cities should "provide Social structures which promote the Development of Children, fex. through Education, Housing, Health, Protection from Violence, etc., as well as places to pay, said Schuster, who denounced the fact that in 2001 he had found that "80% of househods had not even one child" in Stuttgart, where there were "more cars than children", making him react by creating plenty of "Green" areas around Family homes.

     - "The way that we treat today our Children is important in order to determine what kind of Europe we want to have in Future", stressed the same day CLRAE's President a.i., Dr. Ian Micallef.

    "EuroFora", observing that CLRAE's 2009 session had invited as speaker the Mayor of Stuttgart, who is also member of EU's wisemen committee on the Future of Europe, at the same session where it dealt with "Local Democracy week" in several EU cities, including Brussels and Strasbourg, in parallel with grave Local and Regional Democracy problems in Turkey, had asked fCLRAE's President if he believed that Local Democracy should be an integral part of Europe's Identity and model.

- "We (CoE) have to show that in Europe, Local and Regional Democracy is not only about Infrastructural needs of the Localities. But that we should also care for the Environmental and for the Social needs of our Societies and our Communities" and People's lives, CLRAE's President replied positively to "EuroFora"'s question.

- That's why "we (CLRAE) are trying to depict a Picture that Local/Regional Democracy, the Administration at local level, includes also Social aspects and the Caring for our inhabitants. We have already started ..discussions on the Urban Charter...Now, we are going a step forward, speaking about Cities which care of the needs of Children.  Cities which give Children the space which is needed for them. for Education purposes, for Sport purposes, etc. We are also looking on how Local/Regional Authorities can work in the interest of women and of children suffering from ..violence", he added.

- "And the message is clear, it's a common language in this house (CoE) :.. And we want now, to speak also with One Voice (i.e. all CoE's bodies united together) about the needs of Children in our communities. That's what we plan to do for this year (2009) up to the next session on March" 2010, Micallef concluded.

    Significantly, he said that the same Day that ECHR in Strasbourg issued many judgements condemning Turkey for gross violations of Human Rights, where victims were often Children and women, before CLRAE debates a Report denouncing Ankara for persisting in its failure to address exceptionally grave Local and Regiona Democracy problems :

Among such damning facts revealed by ECHR in Turkey are also, f.ex. :  Persisting Impunity of Killers (apparently among Turkish State's agents) who "smashed the heads" of their kidnaped victims including of 2 Women. Impunity of Torturers, even of Children !.  Girl aged 11 atrociously amputated of a leg by explosions of landmines placed by Turkish soldiers where children were playing, without anyone ever punished among those responsible. People arrested, prosecuted and thown to Jail without a judgement for more than a Decade, while proceedings against them are "still pending" until today : 2009 (!), including in the case of a Girl denouncing Rape. Children prosecuted, arrested, tortured, condemned by Turkish courts for adults. Abuse of brutal force, torture and deprivation of liberty by Turkish Police to illegally suppress peaceful Demonstrations trying to alert the Public Opinion on the situation in Turkish Prisons where tragic events had occured. Grossly Unfair Trials, wihout even a lawyer's assistance, condeming people to many years of jail ; etc.

All these events took place after the controversial EU decisions to give Turkey a "candidate" status (1999) and to start negotiations (2004-2005), most of them still continuing until today (2009). And such facts, are obviously incompatible with EU's "Copenhagen criteria".

 In particular :

Four persons, including 2 Women, were illegally kidnapped, shot and killed, their "Heads smashed with Stones", while suspects benefited from total Impunity and "never appeared before a court", not even those who were identified by eyewitnesses, and despite the obvious "possibility of (Turkish) Security forces' involvement in the killings", denounced by ECHR !However, in such kind of cases "the public interest in obtaining the prosecution and conviction of perpetrators is firmly recognised, particularly in the context of war crimes and crimes against humanity", EuroJudges observed. (Gasyak case)

A small Girl aged only 11 was atrociously amputated from one leg after she stepped on a Landmine placed by Turkish soldiers in a field where children were playing. But noone among those responsible was ever identified nor punished for such "inhuman" acts which "amount to intentional use of lethal force", despite of the fact that in such cases "the only relevant remedy" was "criminal prosecution" which was never done,  as denounced ECHR. (Alkin case).

A Child aged 15 was atrociously tortured, because it participated in a demonstration, but its torturers scandalously obtained total Impunity in the Turkish Courts on 2008 (Akman case).

Same scandal with the refusal to prosecute the Turkish Policemen who tortured 2 Children aged 15 and 16, marked by wounds at their eyes, mouths, heads, etc., after abusing of "disproportionate" force to disperse a demonstration denouncing the situation in Turkish prisons, (Serkman cases). While suspected Torturers of a young Woman were not even questioned by Turkish Authorities, and never appeared at a Court.. (Tunc cases).

People in Turkey can be held in Pre-trial detention "exceeding 11 years" : fex. 1997 - 2009, (even at the infamous "isolation" "F-type" prisons), for simple "suspicion of membership" to an organisation, without yet being found guilty by any court, since proceedings are "still pending" until today ! (Engin case),  Such scandalous facts are rather frequent in Turkey, as attest also other cases (where even a Girl aged 19 vainly denounces that she was also "raped", fex. "Inan and others").

- A young Woman was arrested and convicted to 12 Years in prison, on 2001 and 2004, without seing her Lawyer more than ..."5 minutes" !  (Tunc cases) This seems to be a wide-spread and continuing violation in Turkey, since there are also many other victimes who "were denied the assistance of a Lawyer" while being held "in detention", before being condemned in grossly Unfair Trials, as, fex. also  in the  Dayanan, Demirkaya, Güvenilir  and Gecgel cases.

ECHR was also "astonished" by Turkish Authorities' promptess to abuse of disproportionate force, even wounding Children, and of heavy imprisonments just to stop "in a few minutes" a peaceful Demonstration, which didn't represent any danger against the public order, by "a small group of persons who simply wished to alert the Public Opinion about an incident which had provoked strong reactions and debates nationwide", on an anniversary of the december 2000 deadly attack by Turkish gendarmes against hunger strikers protesting "isolation" F type jails (Serkan affair). Similar violations of the Right to Demonstrate, were also found in other cases, where even "Criminal prosecution against Children" was added to the abuse of "not necessary" and "disproportionate" force by Turkish Police, followed by heavy condemnations (1,5 years of jail !), in order to crash an "initially peaceful" demonstration held "in a Park", with "no serious danger to the public order", by people who "wished to draw attention to ..the conditions of detention" and "protest against F type prisons", after "events which had occured in Bergama prison":  Even if "demonstrators did not engage in acts of violence", however, Turkish "authorities intervened swiftly with considerable force  in order to disperse them, thereby causing tensions to rise, followed by clashes", instead of showing the required "tolerance towards peaceful gatherings, if the freedom of assembly ..is not to be deprived of all substance", ECHR denounced. (Uzunget cases).
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+ This was corroborated by EU Commission's 2009 Report on Turkey, issued next morning, which  denounced also the fact that "No progress can be reported on combating Child Labour, ...There is no effective inspection system". Meanwhile, "Children's Poverty grows in Turkey (26,1%), and "in Rural areas the rate is as high as 42%",     

Moreover, EU criticism focused on "cases of Juveniles tried as adults and facing disproportionate (Prison) sentences (which) raise serious concerns".

In particular, "Children from 15 to 18 years of age (are) detained under the anti-terror law, (simply) for participating in Demonstrations" !"The number of cases lodged against children in this age group ...has increased considerably".  "Recent "Amendments to the 2006 Anti-Terror Law", indeed, "provide that Children between 15 and 18 years of age can be tried as adults". F.ex.: "Minors participating in Demonstrations, particularly in the South-East, face charges of‘membership of a terrorist organisation’ and, hence, disproportionate, long prison sentences".

Turkish Courts' "Judgments are often based on statements by Police officers, and are not backed by firm evidence". In addition, "they have not always had access to a Lawyer immediately after detention". And "Children have been allegedly ill-treated after their arrest and before being taken to the prosecutor and have been prevented from seeing their lawyer during that time.", EU denounced.
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    + Meanwhile,  CoE's PanEuropean Congres of Local/Regional Authorities (rCLRAE) issued a Report, drafted by Swedish Anders Knappe and Austrian Herwig Van Staa, expressing "regrets" for the fact that Turkey did no progress at all, and practically stopped to correct the persisting grave "problems" on Local and Regional Democracy "during 4 Years of reduced activity", ..since 2005, (i.e. since it started to negotiate with the EU)..

    Moreover, "between August 2004 and November 2008, 13 Mayors were suspended, and, during 2006-2008, 5 Councils were dissolved", CoE's Report denounces, even before 2009's  grave clashes, where many  elected representatives, mainly of Kurdish origin, were arrested, revoked and jailed, including many Children among the demonstrators, currently held in prison.

    All this obviously goes contrary to "the kind of Europe that we want to build from Strasbourg, by putting its Identity, made of historic Humanism (f.ex. Erasmus), Democracy (EU Parliament, CoE's Assembly, CLRAE, etc), and Human Rights (ECHR), to serve the European construction", as Strasbourg's Mayor, Senator Roland Ries, stressed at the CoE during 2009's "Local Democracy week"...