ReNew MEP Durand - EuroFora: No Competition but Alliance between MEPs+Citizens (EUFuture Conference

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- What will happen mainly in EU Parliament during the next few Months will be Crucial for the Success, or not, of the forthcoming "Conference for Europe's Future" (2020-2022), as it results, inter alia, also from a Topical discussion that "Eurofora" had Yesterday with Mainstream Top French MEP Pascal Durand, from the "ReNew" Group/Liberals, (notoriously boosted by President Macron), and former Vice-President of the "Green" Group, who is particularly Committed in the still on-going Preparations of that Conference, whose Originality and Efficiency will Depend from the Authenticity, or not, of EU Citizens' role, and, especially, from whether there will be a Real Dialogue among Citizens and MEPs on the Conclusions for necessary Changes :  Only if an Old Division and Mistrust, between fans of Direct Democracy and supporters of Indirect Democracy is overcome, mainly through a Forward-looking Alliance and Cooperation between EU Citizens and MEPs, could it, then, become possible to Build a really New Situation in Europe. And this is also related with "Eurofora" Project itself... (See Infra).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

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 - "What I Wish is to arrive into establishing 5 Groups (or "Colleges")", inside the Conference for Europe's Future, Durand stressed to "Eurofora" from the outset :

=> "1 for MEPs, another for EU Commission, added to EU Council (i.e. Member States+), anOther for Civil Society (i.e. NGOs, etc), as well as one for EU Citizens".

>>> I.e. Uniting Citizens in 1 Body, instead of Dispersing them through Various "Thematic Agoras" only, as a controversial First EU Parliament's Resolution, on the Contrary, pushed, Back on January 2020, (See http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/euparliamentoncitizensforeufuture.html ).

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+ Moreover, "I would like to reach" Conclusions "with real Exchanges" between them, "where they would Cooperate"  together, the Mainstream French MEP Highlighted, on the Final Perspectives, (i.e. closely Approaching "Eurofora"s key ViewPoint about "Dialogue" among Citizens and EU Political Deciders : Comp. ibid).

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- "For the Time being", (i.e., apparently, until about May 2020, at the latest), "Nothing has been yet Decided", he told us, (considering also negotiations with EU Commission, EU Council, etc).

- "But I am Aware of the Fact that We may Not have yet a Majority in EU Parliament", the "ReNew" (Liberal) MEP soberly Warned, (while also estimating that several Other MEPs, particularly from the "Green" Group and various others, could be, in fact, very Near to the above-mentioned Key-Points)...

- Because, it seems that, currently, a Number of MEPs, still eyes somehow critically extended Citizens' interventions in EU Parliament's affairs, Worried that this might encroach on their "Mandate" for InDirect Representation.., Durand denounced.

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>>> However, once raised that "Classic" Issue between "Direct" and "Indirect" Democracy, "Eurofora" immediately attracted Durand's attention to the Fact that our Project can serve as a Key Part of a Strategy aiming Not to Oppose EU Citizens to MEPs, but, on the Contrary, to build a Strong Alliance between them, Helping to Start Using Together their Reciprocal advantages for a Better and more efficient functioning of EU Parliament and European Democracy in general :

- F.ex.: By launching Systematic Public Debates at Web Fora, etc., between EU Citizens and EU Political Deciders before Measures affecting their Lives and/or Society at large, MEPs could certainly Augment EU Parliament's Visibility to the Medias, "Eurofora" argued and the mainstream MEP immediately understood.

A Fortiori, when even EU's "Lisbon Treaty", as it stands, already Calls for regular "Dialogue" with EU Citizens and Civil Society on EU Administrations' acts, ...

+ Even more important : MEPs notoriously Complaint that EU Parliament is the Only Parliament in the World whose Members are still Deprived of any Legislatiive Initiative, i.e. they are Hindered to Table any Bill, (since it's Only the EU Commission which holds such a power in Europe). So that Give to EU Parliament such a Right, through the forthcoming "Conference on Europe's Future" (2020-2022), is one of the demands currently on the air.

=> But, what isN't yet so clearly known, is the Fact that, in practice, MEPs already have such a Legislative Initiative Right, IF they act Together with EU Citizens !

- Indeed, "Lisbon Treaty"s famous EU "Citizens' Initiative", requires just 1 Million Signatures from several EU Member Countries, i.e. something that, normally, Any European Political Party with MEPs represented  EU Parliament can easily achieve. So that it's enough, for MEPs of any EU Political Party, to practically Coordinate their actions with those of their Fans, in order to get the required Number of Signatures asap. for any Legislative Bill they might wish to Table in EU Parliament...

- The 1st initial Objection from MEP Durand was to remind the Fact that, until now, that "EU Citizens' Initiative", notoriously, had Not worked well, with Only a Few managing to get succesfully through a lot of petty Bureaucratic requirements. That's obviously True, But Nothing Hinders any EU Political Party might wish, to Organize, Train, and Activate its Electoral Base accordingly. As for that notorious "Volcanic Explosion of Bureaucratic Ashes" (as "Eurofora" had characteristicaly named it, in a series of Press Conferencies in EU Parliament : See, f.ex. ..., etc), which, by a coincidence, had appeared the same day of a famous Islandic Volcano's eruption, closely followed by the announcement of a too Long list of Strict Bureaucratic Procedural Conditions put by a controversial EU Commission's decision, it can Easily be Rectified whenever there might be a real Political Will to Simplify things : It does Not need at all any Treaty Change !

+ The 2nd initial Durand's Objection, was to Warn that political Opponents "might Accuse us to Exploit the Citizens", as he said. But a Political Party and its Supporters are a Continuum of similar Socio-Political Interests and Values, they are practically the Same, so that, in Fact, they are Helping Each other in seeking to obtain a Common Goal.

=> So that MEPS and Can Cooperate Together for a Better Europe in the foreseable Future...

Most of the times, Both in these and other Various Concrete Aspects of that matter, French MEP Durand Replied to "Eurofora" with a simple :  - "I Agree with that !".

=> Let's Hope that Many more among EU Parliament's MEPs will also Read and Agree with this Text...

(../..)

("Draft-News")

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