France: Local democracy meeting in Dijon

How to build for the next five years a political agenda which makes sense and restores confidence for lobbying for a new range of policies? Desillusion and difficulties to overcome usual parties struggles in a changing society are in the heart of the big meeting organized in Dijon next october. A quartet of French associations dealing with democracy, local development, social integration and sustainable development formed recently a partnership to rethink the links between politics and civic involvement. France as most of the industrialised countries faces a social crisis and a civic divide which bears on its capacity to produce common interests. A level of concern is the social dialogue still blocked by ideologies, programs and red tape. The coming presidential elections in 2007 put the pressure on new articulations inside the non profit sector. Its challenge will be to find a leading role as well as new economic means for shaping its influence. While the Dijon next meeting is targetting the transformation of the French model, it tackles several issues to be shared by European citizens : the collective added value of the communities, the building of the democracy within the small administrative level of « pays », and the contribution of citizens to the « knowledge society ». The event is supported by local and regional authorities from Bourgogne. www.adels.org