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Home arrow In Brief arrow Citizen-friendly post-Electoral evening at EU Parliament in Strasbourg opens new era ?

Citizen-friendly post-Electoral evening at EU Parliament in Strasbourg opens new era ?

Written by ACM
Monday, 08 June 2009

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The new 2009-2014 EU Parliament inaugurated its first evening with an unprecedented Citizen-friendly atmosphere at its beautiful Strasbourg's headquarters, where MEPs will elect their new President on July, before voting for the New EU Commission's President either then or, more probably on October, after the expected ratification of Lisbon Treaty by Ireland.

It's the first time that "EuroFora" entered EU Parliament's building helping a group of sympathetic but overloaded young people to carry a heavy load of .. Champaign, to celebrate 2009 EU Elections ! 

EU Citizens were astonished to be greeted with .. free Champaign (offered by Strasbourg's city), Giant TV Screens and an open EU Parliament, freely meeting with EU and local politicians, officials and journalists at MEP's Hemicycle : Strasbourg takes seriously the fight against majority abstentions on EU Elections since 1999..

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-  "It's the first time that it happens", confirmed to "EuroFora" EU Parliament Strasbourg Office's Director, Jean-Jacques Fritz, busy to run around for several practical matters. Indeed, as "EuroFora" remembers, the post-Electoral night was traditionally used only for a "happy few" "invited" persons, politicians, journalists, officials, etc, most interested Citizens having just to keep to their homes' TV screens...

- "I don't think that it's practiced in Brussels, but we'd like to establish and develop further in future this opening towards EU Citizens in Strasbourg", said to "EuroFora" the City's Mayor, French Senator Roland Ries (Soc.)

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- "What is specific in Strasbourg is its European vocation towards Citizens" :  With the European Court of Human Rights, the EU Ombudsman, the PanEuropean Congress of Local and Regional authorities, CoE's International NGOs, and, the most important : EU Parliament's full plenary sessions, added later Mayor Ries, accompagnied by his beautiful International/European affairs' director, Ms Nawel Rafik-Elmrini.

Journalists were positively surprised to find working Tables, with Electricity and Wifi connections, in front of a huge TV Screen, right in front of MEP's Hemicycle at the 1st floor, close to Politicians, MEPs, Officials and Citizens, surrounded by a spectacular eye-catching view, among transparent Crystal "walls", to a splendid Natural landscape at the Sunset, made of Rivers, Forests, Sports' areas, Tram, Bicycles and Boats', looking straight at the European Court of Human Rights' original building, (designed by the same British Architect : Sir Rogers, who made also Paris' world-famous "Beaubourg", visited a few hours ago by new US President Obama and his family)..

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Instead of being closed in an... Underground room, surrounded by high walls, closed doors and windows, far away from MEPs, EU Officers and Citizens, at a "Press room" curiously pushed at the other side of the building, in unequal and poor ventilation conditions, as usual...

Citizens were happily strolling around, having never seen EU Parliament open and active like this, looking for and commenting on Elections' results, among local, national and EU politicians, while various Receptions were going on in parallel at several meeting-points all around the central area.

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Security guards appeared astonished that everything was going on calmly, without any incident to notice. Impressive EU Parliament's Ushers, wearing their uniforms, had come to guide People to, and around the Hemicycle.

Only regret : When "EuroFora", thirsty, urgently asked for "a glass of Water", the only tables close to the events served only ... Champaign (and a dangerously good one), offered by Strasbourg's City.. It took some hours, and a helpful young couple, to find out that there was also an open Bar with almost everything People wished to eat and drink, including refreshing fruit juices.

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Who claimed that People don't give a damn about EU Parliament since 1999's first majority abstention ? Even after Midnight, a young EU Citizen, anxious to be among the first to have the lastest overall EU Parliament's results, asked "EuroFora" to lend him a pencil to simply write down on a piece of paper the numbers which figured at a Giant Screen out of the Hemicycle.Sometimes,

Citizen-friendly atmosphere may simplify journalists' work...

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    Before the end of 2009, France and Germany will take strong initiatives to open "new Horizons" needed by Europe and the World, going well beyond the current Crisis' management, anounced French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angie Merkel, reassuring that both a judgement on Lisbon Treaty by nearby Karlsruhe German Federal Court, and the forthcoming National Elections in Germany would confirm their capacity to act.    

They were replying to Press questions in Berlin, after key-regional elections on Sunday, where Merkel's ChristianDemocratic party kept everywhere a strong 1st and won the possibility to forge a New Majority with Liberals at the largest of 3 Landers : Saxony (4 millions inhabitants), while its main competitor, the Socialdemocrat party fell to unprecedented lows : Tackled by the small "Linke" (left) party in Saarland (1 million inhabitants), it became even smaller than it in Saxony and Thuringen (3 million inhabitants), where SPD arrived only third. While its usual partners, the "Greens" also fell down, contrary to CDU's new partners, the FDP Liberals, who go up.

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    - "At any case, at the end of the year (2009), if things go as scheduled, we shall take strong initiatives, showing that Europe needs a Franco-German axis, as well as the World, even if it never excludes other" countries to join, replied Sarkozy to a question if France and Germany will revive the "European dream", by "relauncing the EU motor" for the Future, with actions going further than the mere management of the global crisis, (as it was done fex. in the Past with the creation of the "Euro" Monetary zone, etc).

    - "I am convinced that the Franco-German friendship must be constantly nourished by New Projects", he added."There are many areas of cooperation where we intend to take, very soon, some Franco-German initiatives, which will allow to open more Horizons" to the EU, Sarkozy stressed.

    But if "we don't speak about that now, it's only in order to avoid interfering in important elections coming in Germany", he observed. However, "we have already started to consider the Future with the (German) Chancellor, and what we can do in order to honour our predecessors". "We are already speaking about that, and we are preparing things". "I am working very well together with Mrs Merkel, and I wish that it goes on", Sarkozy concluded.

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    - "It's important for EU's credibility that France and Germany advance forward together", stressed Merkel from the outset. "Don't worry about Germany's capacity to undertake initiatives" with France, she added. "France and Germany will be perfectly able to make proposals" for the EU.

    -  "After-crisis" plans must be prepared, meanwhile, with measures "advancing progressively", Merkel anounced. And, for the short term, we must deal also with EU Citizens' dismay since they feel that it's a Scandal for some in the Financial Markets to be paid with excessive "Bonuses", etc, she agreed with Sarkozy.

    - "Abuses in financial markets must stop", stressed also Sarkozy. Backing Merkel's announcement that France and Germany call for an EU meeting to forge "a crystal-clear European position" in view of the G-14 Summit at Pittsburg, he warned that "everyone will have to undertake his responsibilities, in front of World's Public Opinion. particularly those who don't want to make the same effort of regulation as France and Germany".

    Moreover, "Global Trade cannot be correctly dealt, without taking into account also Environmental and Social rules", Sarkozy added, referring to recently expressed positions against Unfair Competition via Environmental and/or Social Dumping, (See earlier "EuroFora"'s publications).

    Such moves are obviously linked to the need to ensure at least an elementary respect for Human Rights by Third Countries, (f.ex. exploitation of Children's work, etc) in order to avoid, precisely, any such Social Dumping.

    - "EU has Values, protecting Human Rights and Human Dignity", and "it cannot close its eyes" in front of grave violations, particularly "Torture and/or killings", added, indeed, Sarkozy.

    Thus, "the time comes, where decisions must be taken". But, in case of "Sanctions", "all International opinion should be convinced of the need to take action", he observed.

    Expressed on the occasion of recent developments in Iran, the same principles should logically apply also to other similar cases, including fex. that of Hundreds of ECHR judgements' condemning f;ex. Turkey for grave crimes, (as Torture, brutal Killings, Enforced "Disappearances", Destruction of Family Homes, harassments and oppressive violations of Freedom of Speech, etc).

    Meanwhile, questioned on (EU Commission's chair)  Barroso's bid to succeed himself for a second mandate, they both expressed a "wish" or a "feeling" that "EU Parliament"'s various political Groups might fix a date for decisions "during September". However, is he is endorsed before the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, it will be legally necessary to re-vote anew for a full term of office afterwards, according to EU Legal Experts, revealed recently in Strasbourg the experienced former President of EU Parliament's Constitutional Committee, German Socialist MEP Jo Leinen. And Germany will not vote for Lisbon Treaty's ratification but only "on September 8 and 18", revealed Merkel, ( i.e. after EU Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg).

    - Therefore, "for EU Commissioners' appointment, it's too early yet, because we must wait for the ratification of Lisbon Treaty" by all 27 EU Member countries, including naturally Ireland's Referendum on early October, said to "EuroFora" the influential President of EU Parliament's largest group of MEPs, Joseph Daul, expressing, however, the hope that a controversial deal with the head of the Socialist Group of MEPs, Martin Schultz of Germany, might hold for Barroso alone, at a forthcoming vote due to fix the Strasbourg plenary's Agenda.

    But MEPs reportedly just "postponed" for 1 week all their previously scheduled group meetings (See : http://www.euractiv.com/en/future-eu/barroso-unveil-summer-homework-week/article-184825 );

    However, while the choice of a new EU Commission's President by EU Parliament is supposed, according to many MEPs' wish, take place according to EU policy issues, paradoxically, this would mean that Barroso's bid would pass before even the anouncement of France and Germany's "initiatives" for EU's "new Horizons"...

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