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

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

Written by ACM
Wednesday, 12 February 2020

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*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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  Ten Years of ECHR : 1998 - 2008 show need of Revival in 2009-2010 coinciding with 2009 EU Election
   

A threefold, coordinated move by new Top French Political actors in the 2009 EU Parliament Elections, expressed in Strasbourg a will to boost Europe's Political dimension close to Citizens' concerns, going from protection of Economy to defence of Human Rights.    

The move met an exceptional ECHR's call for a "revival" of Human Rights' protection mechanism', in a Mega-Conference, early 2010.   

Obviously focusing on June 2009 Elections to EU Parliament, it involved from the outset the recently nominated "dual" Head of French Governing Party (UMP)  Michel BARNIER and Rachida DATI :

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     - "As President Sarkozy has clearly said, we (France) are in favor of a Strong, Sovereign and Independent, Political Europe, which protects its Citizens, and not for a large Super-Market, nor for a Europe under influence",

    "This goes for everything, including Energy", added to "EuroFora" the experienced former EU Commissioner, Minister of Foreign affairs, currently of Agriculture and Sarkozy's new pick as Leader of the Governing party UMP to EU 2009 Election, Michel BARNIER                                              .                             

  - Human Rights are important because they are at the Heart of the Political Europe that we aspire for : I.e. a Europe able to act and protect its Citizens, stressed also the New French Minister for European affairs, Bruno LE MAIRE, while meeting Strasbourg's Journalists at his first visit to the CoE.   

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This is one of the main interests for CoE, which is also a natural place for cooperation between EU countries and Russia or Turkey, which was recently helpful at the Middle East crisis, he added.

The move gained momentum with French Minister of Justice, Rachida Dati's main observations at ECHR's 5Oth Anniversary :   

- "While we are seeking Europe's Borders and Identity, you (ECHR) remind us also of its Values", Human Rights, Dati noted.   

Citizens seek more and more often ECHR's help, and the tempo accelerates, Europa awaits a symbol, while national legal orders are not freezed   

And she expressed "support" to ECHR President Jean-Paul Costa's call to satisfy the vital need to revigorate the PanEuropean Court by deciding big changes at a High-Level Conference open to a large audience, a kind of "Etats Generaux" of Human Rights, at the beginning of 2010.       

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It's not so much the recently growing number of applications for Russia or Ukraine etc, which seems to be Costa's main concern : In fact, the cases declared "admissible" are much fewer...    

But rather the persistent violations of Human Rights, sometimes very grave (ie. murders, torture, abritrary deprivation of liberty, oppression of freedom of speech, destructions of homes/properties, etc), despite numerous, repeated condemnations by ECHR. So that CoE's Ministers, due to "supervise execution" of ECHR's judgements, are overloaded.   

F.ex. most Media noted that Turkey still remains, even in 2008, the 1st among 47 CoE member States in the number of condemnations by ECHR :  257, compared to 233 for Russia, with a population more than the double..    

The problem is that it's not the 1st time at all : During all the last Decade 1998-2008, Turkey was condemned by ECHR much more than any other State, and for particularly grave violations :   

- 1.652 condemnations, compared to 605 for Russia, 548 for Poland, 494 for France, 476 for Ukraine, etc.   

Italy's second place with 1.394 condemnations is a misleading false appearance : In fact, most of them (999) concern mere "procedural delays" in national courts. Same for France.   

On the contrary, Turkey was condemned 180 times for Killings, 192 times for Torture or Inhuman/Degrading treatments, 340 times for arbitrary deprivation of Liberty, 528 times for "Unfair trial", and 169 times for oppression of Freedom of speech, (etc). And the latest, 2008 numbers, indicate no change in this trend, (See supra).   

The current Spanish CoE Presidency (November 2008 - May 2009) has made of the implementation of ECHR's judgements its 1st Priority.   

ECHR's President, Jean-Paul Costa, stressed in its 2009 Annual Press Conference, CoE Member States' obligation to implement the judgements, according to Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights.   

Moreover, if CoE's Committee of Ministers delays to ensure implementation, then, the repetition of violations in similar cases provokes a multiplication of complaints tabled to the Court, which overload the mecanism for the protection of Human Rights, denounced Costa.          

A series of Debates on "the situation of Human Rights in Europe", focusing on the "need to fight against Impunity" of perpetrators of grave crimes, is  currently prepared by CoE's Parliamentary Assembly for the session of June 2009.  

The final Timing comes shortly AFTER the EU Elections, but the main Reports should have been adopted before.

Meanwhile, French President Sarkozy and German Chancelor Merkel's recent call "for a Political Europe" in 2009 EU Elections (See earlier "correspondence from Paris, Elysee Palace), seems more and more endorsed also by other EU Countries' Top MEPs :

Thus, f.ex., EU Parliament's 1st vice-President, Greek MEP Mrs Rodi KRATSA, speaking to "EuroFora", agreed that 2009 EU Election would be a "naturally good" opportunity to debate what really interests EU Citizens : "The Future of a Political Europe, able to face the Economic Crisis, with a Culture and identity which attracts the People"

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(Photo taken earlier during Sarkozy's 1st visit at EU Parliament, in 2007 : Sarkozy and Merkel's Ideas for a Political Europe inspire also other EU politicians accross the continent)..
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