

Green Candidate Strasbourg Mayor Barsheghian Endorses EF Project on Citizen/MEP Debate before EU Act

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- The currently Most Popular (according to Polls) Candidate for Strasboug's New Mayor, Armenian-origin "Green", Jeanne Barsheghian, speaking to "Eurofora" Both on 4 and 9 March 2020, Expressed, in a Crystal-clear way, her "Total Agreement" with "Eurofora"s Project for EU Citizens' Dialogue with MEPs Before Important Final EU Decisions Affecting People's Lives and/or Society at large are taken at Full Plenary Sessions here, Each Month, in order to Strengthen Modern European Democracy.
+ In this regard, She Also Added an Interesting Point concerning Relevant Cooperation also Between several European Cities Networked with Strasbourg, (and, probably, Brussels, too)
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- "Eurofora"s 1st Question, (at a Brief exclusive Interview given After a Collective Debate among All Candidates, at the Prestigious "International Library Kleber", on March 4) evoked "European affairs", and, after observing the Fact of various "Green" Alliances in several EU Countries, including Austria, Germany, etc., also Together with ChristianDemocrats/EPP, (even at Strasbourg's Neighbour "Baden-Wurttenberg" Länder, etc), pointed at some MEPs' alleged Preferences for EU Parliament's work in Brussels and/or Strasbourg, stressing that "it's Not Only about Transports" etc, "But Also about Press Impact".
- So that "certain Projects (as "Eurofora"s, since 2006/2007+) aim to Create (MEPs') Public Debates with Citizens Before the Plenary Sessions", "i.e. Before Important Final Decisions are taken", "usually in Strasbourg, since here (Traditionaly) Concludes almost everything" in EU Parliament's decision-making process, "After having been Prepared in Brussels, to which due Attention should also be paid". For that purpose, f.ex., the Previous Friday, "Saturday or Sunday could be used", We Suggested.
- "In Strasbourg ?", she proposed the Candidate New Mayor of the City.
- "Naturally, but Not Only, since with Today's New Communication Technologies, it could be Even for those EU Citizens who might be staying up to Scandinavia !", "Eurofora" added, More Widely.
- "Certainly", Barsheghian reacted Positively.
- "I Absolutely Agree with that !", she clearly Welcomed in Reply.
+ By the way, " I've just said at a Debate about EU Parliament", "that we should Engage More the Citizens also of Strasbourg on European Issues". "F.ex., when (EU's) Free Trade Treaties are Discussed, some have the Impression that it's something which exists Far Away, While, in Fact, it's going to have a Direct Impact in People's Everyday Lives !", she observed.
_- So "I Wish that such EU Debates could involve (EU) Citizens, in our City". That's why, "I took the Commitment for, at least 1 Debate per Month, inside the City Counil's Room, on EU Parliament", Barsheghian proposed.
- "But, that Should be done Before the Plenary" session's Final Decisions, "Eurofora" Clearly suggested.
- "Thank you for that", she Kindly Concluded this conversation, Smiling.
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+ A Good Chance to Develop that Discussion Further with "Eurofora", was offered, just a Few Days Later, On March 9, when Barseghian spoke at "Cathedral's Circle", hosted at Hôtel "Cathedral", facing Strasbourg's Most Famous and Greatest Monument :
- Initialy, she stressed, there, that she "Believe(s) in the Values of Experimentation" and "Illustration", reiterating her Wish for "a Great Debate, with EU Experts (MEPs ?) and Open to Everybody", in order "to Explain, have a Pedagogic effect" on European Issues, "Each Month".
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=> This Incited a Question on "certain Pre-Existing Projects", as that of "Eurofora", proposing to Organise Debates, the Week Before (Final) Decisions are taken in Strasbourg (Full Week Plenary Sessions), Not Only for Information (of the Society), But Also with an Active Participation of Citizens, who would Express their Opinions about (imminent) Decisions which Affect their Lives (and/or Society at large)".
- For that purpose, "Internet and other New (Communication) Technologies, could be used, as well as "in situ", involving Hotels, (Associations), etc., while that would Also be of great Interest to many Medias (not only 1 or 2 alone) and MEPs, Attracting several Journalists"
+ Particularly if "such Debates would take place In View of ForthComing Decisions, With the Participation of (EU) Citizens in the Decision-Making Process, and a Duty (or Commitment, for EU Politicians), to Reply to the People Affected by those (EU) Decisions, in a way respecting, at least, Basic (Legal/Human Rights') Principles, as that of Proportionality, etc", "Eurofora" suggested.
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>>> - "I Entirely Agree With You on that Point !", Barseghian Positively Replied to the above-mentioned "Eurofora"s Question.
- Indeed, "Everything like that, which Would Strengthen (EU) Citizens' Appropriation" of Main Topical EU Issues, "Anything which Would Facilitate their Participation to Those Debates, would Also ReinForce the European Democracy, and, De Facto, European Parliament's Role, Because, in Fact, We are Speaking about that" : I.e. "the European Democracy's Importance", she Rightfully observed.
- In this regard, "there are a Lot of (Pertinent) Debates, f.ex., as that of Free Trade (International) Agreements, the Debate about the Common Agricultural Policy, with Huge Implications (also) on Our Food, Urban and/or Regional Planning, our Peasants, etc., which are Fundamental Issues Affecting Our EveryDay Lives", Barseghian concretely illustrated, inter alia.
=> In Consequence, "as far as I am concerned, I Fully Agree with What You ("Eurofora") Propose, that is to say, Previous (EU) Citizens' Debates, which would Allow for Everybody to Participate".
+ "And", Moreover, "I Wish for Strasbourg's City, Together With all Other (European) Cities with which it Works in Network, to Facilitate, and Even Organize those Debates, which would Allow to Feed the European Democratic Debate" in Wider terms, she interestingly Suggested, in Addition.
=> - "In Conclusion, myself, I Entirely Agree with that !", Barseghian clearly Reiterated.
- Indeed, as she had already Stressed Earlier, as a matter of General Principle, "I Believe in Democratic Debate" and "Citizens' Participation".
(../..)
("Draft News")
(NDLR : "Eurofora"s 2 Questions were Raised
by Angelo Marcopolo on March 4, and by Eugenie Marcopolo on March 9).
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Sarkozy and Merkel want deals with Obama on European Security at Strasbourg's NATO 2009 Summit
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In parallel but concording moves, EU Chair, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angie Merkel both invited this week US-President elect, Barack Obama, to discuss important deals breaking new ground on European Security during the NATO's 60 Years Anniversary Summit of Heads of State in Strasbourg, where Obama is expected to make his 1st visit to Europe as a President on April 2009.
Merkel focused mainly on smoother NATO - EU Defence and Security policy cooperation, while Sarkozy spoke about PanEuropean Security, associating both Russia and the USA, proposing to freeze missile and shields' deployement until an agreement is reached.
But both tackled some hard nuts to crack : Turkey's VETO against the participation of EU Member Cyprus to EU-NATO cooperation, and Russia's anouncement on deployment of missiles up to Kaliningrad, at EU's belly, in reply to USA's wish to set up missile shields in EU States such as Poland or Czech Republic, etc.
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- "Certainly...one of the points that we'll dicuss with the New US President", Barak OBAMA, "who will come f'or the 1st time in Europe as president, at the NATO Summit", co-hosted by France and Germany in Strasbourg, ""concerns, above all, the European Security and Defence Policy" (ESDP), and "the relations between NATO and its partners", with whom it should "work together", anounced earlier this week Merkel.
We must find "a reasonable and adequate concept to articulate NATO and European Security and Defense policy", because of a "series of practical issues, sometimes difficult to understand", but that "we must discuss".
- "An example" of that is "the issue of Cyprus and Turkey", said Merkel, where Ankara raises problems "from Kosovo up to Afghanistan", as also CoE's chair, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt recently observed in Strasbourg replying to EuroFora's questions.
- "We must do something to smoothen this problem for good, and not only on a case-by-case basis, laboriously negotiated each time". Here, we must find "a reasonable and adequate concept to articulate NATO and European Security and Defense policy", Merkel stressed.
- "With good will from all sides, it could and should be posible. Germany wants also to help on that". Otherwise, "the coming generations will not understand why it took Decades to do so". But, if we "don't even achieve that for Decades, this would be an Historic Failure !", the German Chancellor warned
- "I think that our American partners are increasingly realizing that", Merkel said, pleading for "a stronger European Security and Defence policy, with which, I believe, the Atlantic Security Partnership can also strengthen and solidify".
Meanwhile, USA is also due to take in 2009 a special status inside EU-led EUROCORPS, the European Army HeadQuarters, based in Strasbourg.
Merkel said that after meeting in Berlin with NATO's Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, earlier this week, precisely in order to "prepare NATO's Summit", scheduled for the beginning of April 2009 in Strasbourg.
Scheffe, knows well Strasbourg, since he chaired the CoE, as Holland's Foreign Minister, when he brokered a controversial deal precisely on Turkey and Cyprus about the implementation of ECHR judgements on Greek Cypriot displaced persons' houses and properties in 2003. He returned later at least once, for a WEO meeting at the CoE, where he precisely had highlighted such EU - NATO issues.
EU Commission's 2008 Report on Turkey has just observed that, on European Defense - Security policy, "Turkey continues to object to EU-NATO Cooperation which would involve all EU Member States". "This created Problems for EU-NATO co-operation in the context of Civilian ESDP missions, in particular in Kosovo and Afghanistan".
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French EU Chair, President Sarkozy and Merkel are visiting Washington on Friday and Saturday for a Global G-20 Summit with current US President George Bush, on the sidelines of which are expected preparatory contacts with US President-elect Obama's entourage, even if himself might stay in Chicago until he takes over on January 21.
Before going to Washington, Sarkozy concluded today an UE - Russia Summit with Dmitry Medvedev, where they "spoke in length on PanEuropean Security" :
- As EU President, I proposed that we meet on mid-2009 in a framework such as OSCE's in order to set the foundations of a Future Pan-European Security, which would associate Russia and USA, and that, meanwhile, nobody speaks about deploying missiles or shields, which complicate the situation".
- NATO's Summit in Strasbourg-Kehl, on April 2009 is a perfect occasion to discuss with our American friends and to prepare a possible OSCE Summit for these issues f.ex. for June or July", Sarkozy concluded.
- We must all abstain from Unilateral measures" dangerous for Europe's security. "Russia only reacted to decisions taken by some other countries. But if they are ready to cooperate, we are ready to discuss. EU could be an intermediary", added Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, before going himself too at the Washington G-20 Economic Summit.