The European Commission, in an effort to increase citizens’ involvement in the EU decision-making process, has launched its Debate Europe project, which will co-fund a number of civil society projects throughout 2008 and 2009.

Launched under the title Debate Europe – building on the experience of Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate the plan puts forward what the Commission describes as a set of “future actions to foster a general and permanent debate on the future of the European Union”. As the title suggests, the programme will build on the accomplishments of Plan D, which was launched in 2005 in response to the French and Dutch ‘no’ votes on the European Constitution.

Debate Europe consists of three broad aims, which the Commission hopes to accomplish through a series of programmes running into 2009. These are:

• to create a citizens’ ownership of EU policies, to make them understandable
  and relevant, and to make EU institutions accountable and reliable to those
  they serve
  
• to stimulate a wide and permanent debate on the future of the European Union between the democratic institutions in the EU and people from all walks of life, both at country and EU level
  
• and to empower citizens by giving them access to information so that they may be in a position to hold an informed debate on EU affairs

The programmes include pan-European citizens’ consultation projects, to be managed by civil society organisations; on-line networks which the Commission says will bring together European, national and regional stakeholders; and European public spaces in the capital cities of Member States, to hold exhibitions, debates, and training sessions on Eu matters.

Commenting on the launch, Margot Wallström, vice president, institutional relations and communication strategy at the Commission said that EU policies needed to be fully anchored in political parties, national democratic traditions, and the daily political dialogue.

“The policies of the EU affect everyone’s lives, whether through its regulations on subjects such as mobile phone roaming charges or through the free movement of people or goods or any other of the EU’s many achievements. They need to be discussed and debated, whether in the town hall, in regional assemblies, national parliaments, on television shows or on the internet.”

For more on Debate Europe visit http://europa.eu/debateeurope