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Home arrow newsitems arrow French Governing Party MEPs' Head Trautman OKs EuroFora idea: MEPs-Citizens Debates on EU Decisions

French Governing Party MEPs' Head Trautman OKs EuroFora idea: MEPs-Citizens Debates on EU Decisions

Written by ACM
Friday, 17 May 2013
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*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Experienced MEP Catherine Trautmann, Head of the Delegation from the French Governing Socialist party in EU Parliament, replying to a Question raised by "EuroFora" during a meeting organized by Strasbourg's Press Club, agreed that the original Idea that we had initially started to present both to her and other mainstream MEPs from various Political Groups, as early as since 1997, to develop systematic and free MEPs - EU Citizens Public Debates before EU Parliament takes important Decisions which affect People's lives, could help Today, on 2013, to face new Dangers for Abstention and/or Anti-European desorientations which risk to affect Citizens, preventing an otherwise possible repetition or even aggravation of the 1999-2004+ Negative, counter-productive Incidents which had notoriously affected EU's potential in a Negative way, whose consequences are still felt even now, during the current Global Economic Crisis, but don't really look inevitable at all, since the situation could and should be easily rectified by "making Europe Popular, instead of abandoning it to Anti-European Populism", as we stressed.
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- "EuroFora"'s question reminded to Trautman and other parfticipants, a contact that we had with her (also as former Mayor of Strasbourg and soon Minister for Culture and Communications), as early as "back on 1997",  in order to discuss the Idea to help develop a possibility for direct and Permanent Debates between MEPs and EU Citizens, including by using New Communication Technologies, during EU Parliament's Decision-making process, on the most important Measures which affect People's lives.

- "Given what happened afterwards, (i.e. since the 1999-2004 Exceptional Majoriy Abstention in EU Elections, and  3 "No" to EuroReferenda, added to recent 2013 Polls warning about risks for Anti-EU Votes, even more Abstention, etc., f.ex. in France, but also elsewhere), don't you think that this Idea should be revitalized, since it's much better to make Europe Popular, instead of abandoning it to Anti-European Populism ?", we asked.
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- "Concerning a structure for Permanent Dialogue with (EU) Citizens", as per "EuroFora"s Question, Trautmann's reply reminded, at first, an attempt to "set up an "Agora", i.e. a kind of "Forum" with Citizens, together with (former "Green" vice-President of EU Parliament) Gerard Onesta". "But this wasn't so performant, not convincing", as she said for something which had totally Deviated from "EuroFora"s originaly proposed Idea, and even excluded its author, resulting in a repetition of Expensive micro-meetings practically restricted only among some invited pals, and entirely cut off from EU Parliament's decision-making process, so that it soon proved, indeed, to be without any serious interest to the People, as we had naturally predicted..


- "Nevertheless, I certainly think that EU Parliament should become a really "Smart" Parliament, i.e. a Parliament which keeps being in touch with (EU) Citizens", the experienced MEP agreed Today with "EuroFora".


 - In fact, "We are already many of us (MEPs) to receive a great Number of sollicitations, Thousands of E-Mails, etc., which arrive to us every Day : It's really Enormous ! I think that we (MEPs) don't yet realize at all this link that we (can) have with Citizens throughout all Europe", she observed in this regard.


 - "The problem is that all this doesn't reach yet the Political Decisions, so that they have Difficulties to be accepted by EU Citizens, since we (MEPs) need a Democratic Debate with them : This must be said !", Trautman added, indirectly but surely concerning "EuroFora"'s view to to adequately Connect Internet Forums' Debates with EU Political Decision-making, in some practical ways inspired by Administrative Law's basic rules on Public Decision-making Process (f.ex. Contradictory Procedure, Sufficient Motivation, Existent and Legal motifs, No Obvious Errors of Appreciation, etc.), and not at all as a "Touristic" attraction totally unconnected to EU decisions, as others had attempted, uselessly wasting too much Money for nothing..
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=> "We (MEPs) can organize that, we can make it much Better. At any case, it's part, I think that pat of the Missions that we must give to a "Task Force" (due to be established together with other Pölitical Parties,; in order to help contribute promoting EU Parliament's sessions' impact), should be to assess the situation regarding the Contacts that we (MEPs) have with eU  Citizens", Trautman added in her reply.


 - Also "Because  that's one of the Keys, whch would allow to give back to EU Parliament's Plenary sessions in Strasbourg its Popular roots, and to make it a place where EU Parliament finds anew its Popular roots. It's mportant", today, for all MEPs, "the Popular Roots", she concluded in reply to the question raised by "EuroFora".

 

(../..)

 

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Former "Green-Red" German government's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's job at the controversial Turkish pipeline "Nabucco" was denounced as "not proper", "very bad", and "incompatible with Democracy", by the new President of EU Parliament's EuroLeft Group, German Lothar Bisky, replying to an "EuroFora" question.

For once, criticism of Joschka Fischer's doings with Turkey affecting Europe, didn't come only from the Center-Right of the political spectrum, but even from his Left side : The experienced Bisky, who has been chairing all over 1993-2009 the PDS - Die Linke party :  

- "Former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer got involved in dealings with oil-gaz business in a foreign country, Turkey, and its controversial Nabucco pipeline. This raises questions about Democracy, also because of the well known problems of Human Rights violations in that country. Do you thing that this might be abused in order to cover up and close EU's eyes on Human Rights violations ?", "EuroFora" asked Bisky.

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- "Nabucco pipeline is (only) at the planning stage". And "there are some difficulties",  he observed from the start. But "'I don't want to get into the details of Nabucco pipeline, because I don't think that there is any point for it at the moment".
 
At any case,  "we  (EU Parliament's EuroLeft Group) strongly believe that Politicians should not get involved in the Energy Business, and all these commercial transactions", President Bisky declared on the Joschka Fiischer's affair.

- "We feel that it's something that shouldn't be done. It's not proper !"           

- "We don't think that it's compatible with Democracy either, and it gets politics into a very Bad track", Bisky went on to denounce.
                                                                                                                                                                        
- "EuroLeft  and "Die Linke" always spoke against that, saying that politicians should not get directly into the arms of private enterprises"

- "It is pretty bad if a former Minister takes a job f.ex. in a major Energy producer. So, it's an issue if a Minister who may have seen excellent opportunities, subsequently gets personally grasp of them, in very serious parts of the economy, once he has given up his (Government) job."

- "It doesn't really make politics in general look any better'", Bisky concluded.

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Earlier, this week in Strasbourg, other Journalists had also raised critical questions on former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's involvement in the conroversial Turkish Nabucco pipeline to the President of his own EuroParty : Kohn-Bendit of the "Greens", who, contrary to Bisky, tried to find excuses for Fischer, while criticizing his long-time partner, Schroeder for having done a similar move :

- "Shroeder was chancellor", and he "negociated" with "Russians", who gave him a job only "3 Months" after he resigned from the Government. While "Joschka Fischer", on the contrary, got a job with the controversial Turkish Nabucco pipeline only "4 Years after" he left the Government. "He didn't negociate Nabucco", so I have "no objection", Kohn Bendit claimed.

But, many Facts indicate the contrary :

Joschka Fischer was Foreign Minister in Germany from 1999 up to 2005 : I.e. from the year that EU took the controversial decision to give Turkey a "Candidate" status, until he year it started controversial "accession negotiations, (later declared "open-ended" after Sarkozy-Merkel's arrival from 2005-2007).

During that period was prepared the controversial so-called "Annan" Plan (in fact, drafted by others and attributed afterwards to the former UN SG) on Cyprus, which failed after a Popular Referendum said "No" on 2004 with a large Majoriy of 3/4 : 75%. Mainly because it was criticized for making too much concessions to the Turkish side :  Particularly by restricting Greek Cypriot Refugees' Human Right to return to their ancestral Land and/or get restitution of their Familiy Homes and private properties, usurpated by Ankara's Army since the 1974 militay invasion and continuing occupation of the northern part of Cyprus. And by weakening the Central Government, leaving to 2 "constituent States" so much powers and separate interests that more conflicts appeared inevitable, provoking the danger of a break-down in the foreseable future, with more crisis, troubles, perhaps bloodshed, etc., instead of creating an harmoniously integrated, really one federal State.

The controversial Plan was finalized on March-April 2004 at Burgenstock (Switzerland), curiously in the presence of an Envoy by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, then governed by Joschka Fischer, but in the absence of a French and not even an European Union's Envoy, contrary to what was usually practiced on similar occasions in Switzerland (fex. in 1997 at Montreux, in 2000 at Geneva, etc).

Turkey notoriously exploited the failure of the "Annan" Plan in order to convince the EU to decide to start accession Negotiations on December 2004. This provoked an unprecedented series of Institutional Crisis inside the EU, shortly afterwards, when French and Dutch People rejected, 2 popular EuroReferenda by a majority "'No" vote to the EU Constitutional Treaty on 2005, aggraveted in 2004 a Majority Abstention to EU Elections, etc., followed by the recent Irish "No", etc.

"Nabucco" Gas pipeline was notoriously planned since ..2002. It follows an even earlier idea, for an Oil pipeline Baku-Ceyhun, which started to be prepared on 1999-2001 and was meanwhile recently completed.  

So, facts indicate that what is now at stake is based on decisions made during Joschka Fischer's term as former Foreign Minister, closely interested in Turkey's controversial EU-bid.

To the point that he now practically ...switched jobs with a poliician from Turkey, (the State which pays today openly Joschka Fischer), Mr. Ozdemir, who came earlier in Germany, got fast the nationality, and became EiuroMP in a few years, continuing now as head of the "Greens" in Germany, i.e. in Joschka's former job !...

Such astonishing facts risk, unfotunately, to give to German politician Lothar Bisky's criticism of  representative Democracy a topical meaning :

 - "We (EuroLeft Group) think that what is really at stake is Democracy. It's not only about Gas Pipelines or Energy sources", President Lothar Bisky went on to add in his reply to "EuroFora"'s question on Joscka Fischer's personal interests in the controversial Turkish "Nabuco" pipeline.

Such facts, "make People get more distance from Politics. ...People had had enough, and they are fed up !".

- "That's why we (EuroParliament's "EuroLeft" Group) want to strengthen Direct Democracy in Europe. Citizens should be involved in the (EU) Decision-making. In the end of the day, it's not going to help anyone if Politicians are always taking decisions, without involving Citizens. We want to give a voice to the People of Europe. They've got to have their say in the decisions that are taken. That's one of our absolutely fixed and steadfast views. We want more Direct Democracy in Europe. That's how it can become more effective and stronger", he concluded.

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