The European Commission wants to increase citizens’ involvement in the EU decision-making process. In a Communication entitled ‘Debate Europe building on the experience of Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate’, it put forward on 2 April 2008 a set of future actions to foster a general and permanent debate on the future of the European Union among people from all walks of life, at both national and EU level.
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The European Commission says it will co-fund a number of civil society projects in 2008 and 2009 under Debate Europe both at EU and national level. Besides further developing the most successful initiatives undertaken under Plan D since 2005, the Commission will shortly publish a call for proposals for new projects.
Debate Europe will:
- co-fund managed by civil society organisations;
- promote to enable citizens to debate their views and discuss them with local policy makers; complementing other European Commission programmes and events which promote active involvement of citizens in the legislative and decision-making process at EU level;
- offer a between the European Commission and other EU institutions in reaching out to the citizens at large and breaking the divide between European and national politics;
- launch which will bring together European, national and regional parliamentarians, journalists and other European opinion-makers to share information, knowledge and ideas on the EU;
- develop in the capital cities of the Member States, where the Commission and the European Parliament together will accommodate exhibitions, debates, seminars and training sessions on EU matters
- by involving EU officials in activities at regional and local level; and
- online discussion forumamongst Internet users.
Plan D was launched in 2005 as a response to the European Council’s call for a period of reflection in June 2005 on how to proceed with the institutional reform after the no-votes in the French and Dutch Referenda.
Between 2005 and 2007, a series of six innovative cross-border citizens’ consultation projects coordinated by civil society organisations, were co-funded under Plan D, as well as local projects involving women and youth. It promoted, amongst others, Internet debates; European Commissioners’ visits to the national parliaments, civil society and the media in the Member States; debates on EU affairs in towns and cities; information on Europe at school, and citizens’ fora.
Debate Europe is part of an attempt to widen the Plan D “two-way dialogue” in anticipation of the European elections in June 2009. This “two-way dialogue” aims to foster a general and permanent debate on the future of the European Union among people from all walks of life, both at country and EU level. Plan D therefore complements the consultation of stakeholders which the Commission undertakes on specific policy proposals. It is also complementary to different Commission programmes which seek to promote active European citizenship.
