Dear Jonathan,
Thanks for accepting my invitation to speak at the pilot on European advocacy and funding for Muslim charities Euclid will run next Wednesday.
I need another favour. You must answer a question. I’ve been losing sleep over a recent episode involving your colleagues at the European Representation in the UK which has made me doubt my engagement with Europe for the first time.
Is the European Union really committed to serve people or is it just marketing to keep them quiet?
This is the story. I knew the European Representation together with the UK Office of the European Parliament was about to open a new premises in London: the Europe House. When we met in the summer you specified that the house would host all sort of events to help connect people to Europe, especially civil society.
I might have misunderstood but I thought the Europe House would have been our house, a house for European citizens, especially the ones who work every day to promote European integration, even in one of he more Eurosceptic member states: the UK. We are too few.
Therefore, when a board member informed me that the opening was due to happen on 6th December, I naively asked for an invitation. I assumed I’d be entitled to one.
Wrong assumption! After quite a long silence – during which I ironically tweeted about my fear of having been put on the Representation’s black list of radical pro-Europe activists – I received several polite refusals – on twitter, by email and even by phone. I must commend your staff for their bureaucratic attentiveness!
At the same time friends told me that politicians, officials and civil servants had been invited and even a number of gangs coming from Brussels would be attending. I was not invited because the organisers didn’t have a clue about civil society organisations in the UK and were not really interested in having them at the opening.
It looked like my worst nightmare was becoming a reality. The Representation was confirming the stereotype of an elitist, bureaucratic Europe – distant and indifferent to people.
€25m of taxpayers money was spent on this building but it remains totally inaccessible to everyone but the usual suspects. It is the former headquarters of Lady Thatcher in one of the poshest areas of London – Smith Square in Westminster. When I checked on the Internet, I realised the media had already picked on this and run the usual EU-smearing campaign: EU bureaucrats moving into luxury new London address. This is not the kind of title you want in the papers in the middle of an economic crisis.
As not only a citizen but an engaged citizen, this shook my faith in Europe. I felt I had been used to fulfil the plans of bureaucrats. I looked stupid and useless.
Fortunately this is not the whole story. Others came to the rescue to restore my faith in Europe and finally friends at the secretariat of Labour MEPs posted me an invitation.
For the last 3 years I have fought hard with my colleagues and members of Euclid Network to construct a different narrative; showing that Europe is committed to its people and seeks to engage with and help them.
Commissioner Reding stated in the recently launched EU Citizenship Report 2010 – Dismantling the obstacles of EU citizens’ rights that the EU’s commitment is to serve citizens and this was echoed by Commissioner Barnier in the Single Market Act.
I’ve worked for years with officials in the Europe for citizens’ programme on the basis that EU–civil society cooperation is for mutual benefit. Those officials have always tried to reach out to people and work together even though challenging the Brussels system in some cases.
I’m wondering what’s happening at the Representation in London.
After being in 2 minds all day I wrote to your colleagues confirming my participation at the Europe House opening. Nobody has replied yet.
Now I know where my place is, and my mission as well. I will make Europe work for its people.
