Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-20-Speech-4-020"
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"en.20031120.1.4-020"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we have come to feel that European citizenship has been consolidated through a set of events such as the introduction of the euro or the elimination of the Community's internal borders. In situations such as these, we see how the existence of European citizenship can complement national citizenship. There are, however, areas in which it is harder to discern this achievement. The structures created by the Community with the intention of promoting this European citizenship receive Community funding and might even have carried out work but do not reach the majority of the citizens. The lack of knowledge about the work undertaken in the various institutions is profound but, due to a lack of transparency, to bureaucracy and to the visible gulf between Europe's citizens and the institutions that supposedly represent them and the organisations set up to serve them, there is no real knowledge of what goes on.
Only recently we were surprised at the results of surveys that demonstrate the complete ignorance of the European citizens about the work of the Convention, despite the considerable resources that have been invested in informing them. I myself, two years ago, was rapporteur on the euro, an extremely important Community service, essential to mobility and to promoting cross-border employment, and I became aware of the widespread lack of knowledge among the public about the euro. Two years on, even though this was one of the areas strategically identified in the resolution we adopted, highlighting the need for a major awareness-raising campaign, the situation remains more or less the same, due to the shortcomings of the Commission and to the lack of interest of the Member States.
It is, therefore, crucial that measures are adopted. On the one hand, greater transparency must be demanded of organisations receiving Community grants. I agree with Mrs Rühle on the need for the investments that the European Union makes in informing its citizens and promoting citizenship to be made public, in particular on the websites of the organisations that benefit from this funding. This is one way of dispelling the idea that Europe is only for eurocrats and is far removed from the citizens, letting them know that this Europe works for all of us directly on a day-to-day basis and also offering citizens real participation at the social and political levels.
The Community institutions are not entirely blameless and can improve their performance by simplifying procedures for submitting applications for Community funds earmarked for civic promotion, by promoting easy access to documents through user-friendly systems, by strengthening the intermediate structures between institutions and citizens, by really listening and genuinely opening up. This is furthermore the right time to encourage citizens’ participation in the construction of the European Union. The Intergovernmental Conference is preparing the new Treaty with constitutional aspirations that will have enormous repercussions for the future of European citizens. I therefore issue a universal challenge: promote real European citizenship now and make it compulsory for all Member State governments to hold referendums on this new Treaty, as many have already decided to do. Consultation on the subject of the future Treaty must take place in all the Member States. In this way, we will all be able to contribute to the genuine exercise of active European citizenship. There is no point in telling our fellow citizens that we are European citizens too, but continually telling them to ‘shush’. It is not right, having proclaimed European citizenship for ourselves in Maastricht, that we then ensure that nothing at all is said about it by imposing a strict vow of silence on the people. We cannot accept the idea that European citizenship is all well and good as long as the citizens do not commit the sin of asking permission to speak. Let us, then, give a commitment to active European citizenship."@en1
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