CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEBATE� ON EUROPEAN CONVENTION

AT THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM � FLORENCE - NOVEMBER 2002

TO BE ABLE TO BE REALLY CITIZENS WE NEED AN EFFECTIVE EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP:

EU INSTITUTIONS MUST BE GOVERNED AND CONTROLLED BY DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND NOT BY TECHNOCRATS INFLUENCED BY LOBBIES

By Thanos Contargyris

WHAT IS AT STAKE

A fundamental question for whoever claims a citizen identity today is how to attach to citizenship not only a right to express opinions but also a real possibility to influence the collective decisions of the Society within this citizenship operates.

Without an answer to this question citizenship is an illusion giving to individuals only some vanity but no real perspectives for shaping, democratically, the future of the World in which they live.

Currently we live in a Global Society governed by markets, themselves obeying to rules and practices dictated mainly by financially powerful and politically influent lobbies. These lobbies gain more and more influence by the control they have of most instruments having the power to shape and control public opinion and decision-makers decisions.

In this Global Space only one political actor, the government of the USA, has the critical weight to exercise a decisive power. Only citizens participating to the designation of this government can pretend they are able to influence the future of the World through their democratic vote. Shall we accept to rely only on them ? What about the rest of us, Citizens of the World?

WHY WE MUST REACT NOW AND FOR WHAT WE SHOULD ACT

The only alternative geo-political democratic space that could designate political actors able to counter-balance constituted lobbies and the risk of living for ever in a World in which they will continue to be supported by unilateral decisions of the USA is, today, Europe, provided it becomes a real political union.

But currently Europe has not designated any political actor, democratically elected, to govern it.

Instead power in European Space is divided between different types of institutional lobbies, most of them being more under a stronger influence of financially powerful lobbies, than under the control of democratically elected representatives. Between the institutional lobbies having a real part in the division of power the only one having some democratic legitimacy is the one constituted by the governments of the most important European Countries.

The essential reasons for European Citizens to reject current organisation of power in European Space and the alternatives currently foreseen through the debate on European Convention, which do not affect it, are :

1) The citizens of small countries and their representatives are excluded

2) Even if some can accept this limitation, fewer are those accepting that other lobbies than democratically elected national governments of the most important countries are sharing a big part of the power of decision (cf GATS)

3) Finally, even if a � troika �� of national governments wants, some day, to try to influence, more than non elected bodies, the European policies it will not be able to do it : a collegial government of representatives elected on different political platforms will never find the required consensus and political strength to define and follow one clear and coherent policy able to oppose non-elected lobbies, the USA super-power and the established rules and functioning of neo-liberal globalisation model.

Only a mode of governance of European Space which will allow true political choices of citizens not only to be expressed democratically at a national level, where power is limited, but at an European level where some real margins exist for implementing policies in internal and external matters can give a true feeling of citizenship and democracy to European Citizens. It is only under this condition that political action will be recognised again as an efficient instrument for the promotion of the rights and the interests of the collective against individual interests of lobbies and foreign interests currently governing the World.

This re-appropriation of an effective citizenship by the European Citizens requires the foundation of a Political European Space with decisive actors democratically elected on the basis of common -throughout Europe - and clearly defined alternative policies to whom power will be given to implement them in Europe and promote them in the World. This is today a pre-requisite absolutely necessary for making one day possible Another Europe and Another World, in which Citizens voices will count.

We must not leave the European Convention debate conclude without raising these questions and without defending and promoting such a transformation of Europe.

This is an historical responsibility, we, Citizens of Europe, share in front of all Citizens of the World, who often do not have the same power as we could have to do what we have to do, for our future and their future, instead of us.

ΜΙΑ ΆΛΛΗ ΕΥΡΩΠΗ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΕΦΙΚΤΗ…

ΘΕΣΕΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΤΤΑΚ

Convention Européenne - ATTAC

ΣΥΖΗΤΗΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΟ ΑΤΤΑΚ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΣ

Ναι σε ένα πραγματικά Δημοκρατικό Ευρωπαϊκό Σύνταγμα

WHAT IS AT STAKE

WHY WE MUST REACT NOW AND FOR WHAT WE SHOULD ACT