Belgium: Civil society, a recipe for bridging the gap between Europe and it’s people?

What role does civil society wish to play in communicating Europe? This is the question that the European economic and social committee (EESC) launched from the European capital during a conference held in Brussels on Monday. The EESC, an organisation that acts as a bridge between European institutions and civil society, invited representatives of civil society and media specialists from the four corners of Europe to the European capital to discuss the measures they were willing to take to communicate Europe.

Civil society?s answer was unanimous. To act locally. To reach out to the people. To campaign for a simpler, understandable institutional language. To use existing networks to strengthen European presence within European nations.

?You are not born a European citizen? said keynote speaker Jean Marc Roirant, co-chair of the EESC Liason Group with European civil society, ?you must become one?. And civil society can do much to help citizens become European, he said, starting by giving them dreams. ?Youth needs future projects? he explained, projects like a European civil service for volunteers, an Erasmus program for young artisans and European youth sports exchanges.

The role of civil society as a promoter of citizen participation was also highlighted as an effective means of making people feel European by Jànos Tòth, President of the Hungarian Economic and Social Committee. He cited numerous occasions where Hungarian people were brought together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, festivals organised by civil society?s organisations where European identity was given centre stage. Such moments should not be underestimated, warned Tòth, as they are symbolic moments for participatory democracy.

The fundamental importance not just of communication, but of clear communication was instead highlighted by Claude Du Granrut, who is Regional councillor of Picardy (France). ?Civil society has a plethora of means to communicate with the general public at the local level? she said, but she added that institutions must learn to communicate in a language that people can understand.

The challenge of bringing European institutions closer to the people is by no means an easy task. But civil society is used to ?getting its hands dirty? and has the means and, according to the EESC, the motives to take on the challenge.

Jillian van Turnhout, vice president of the EECS emphasised during the conference that Europe represents a real opportunity for national civil society organisations. Why? ?Because when the EU steps in, national governments and politicians are forced to step back, and this leaves a space that civil societies can, and should use?. For dialogue, for communication, but especially for listening to what ?keeps people awake at night? she said, as it is only by understanding what worries Europeans that civil society will be able to communicate to them about Europe.

?Let your voice be heard!? Is the universal message that Turnhout sent out to civil society organisations. And she reminded civil society to let their voices be heard at two important upcoming events: the ratification of the ?Treaty of Lisbon? and the European elections in 2009.

More info:
www.eesc.europa.eu