

MACRON to EF+: It's up to the People of Europe to SEIZE THE CHANCE of EU Citizens' Consultations !

*Epinal (Vosges' Mountains)/Angelo Marcopolo/- Speaking briefly to Journalists, including "Eurofora", just after the Official Inauguration of the 1st in a 6 Months-long Series of EU Citizens Consultations between April and November 2018 on Europe's Future, new French President Emanuel Macron, suddenly turned around, Looking straight towards there where we were standing, and shouted aloud, with a particularly Strong Voice :
- "Democracy Belongs to the People !"
=> In consequence, "it's up to the People of Europe to Seize this Chance of Citizens' Consultations, and make them Spread" throughout 27 EU Member Countries (as scheduled),

+ as well as, eventually, advance even further in the foreseeable future, (See Infra + Following Article), according to the Wider Horizon of his landmark Speech, symbolically made at the Historic BirthPlace of Democracy in Acient Greece's Pnyx Rock, facing Acropolis in Athens on 9/2017, (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/macronatthehistoricsourcesofdemocracy.html).
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Meanwhile, in Addition to his Surprising, Last-Minute Choice to Launch a "Long March" for these UnPrecedented EU Citizens' Consultations, just after his Debate with MEPs at EU Parliament in Strasbourg (See relevant "Eurofora"s NewsReports at : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/macronlsongmarchtoconsulciti.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/macronineuparliamentaskscitizensdebates.html, etc), Not at an "Euro-Metropole", but ... Up to he Mountains of nearby Vosges, at Epinal City, (known as HQ of Historic "Social-Gaullist" Top Politician Philippe Seguin, and Birthplace of the Father of Sociology : Emile Durkheim with a Fort still ..Haunted by Napoleon's Ghost according to a Legend), at the Same Time that his LRM Party supporters Started their "March for Europe",

Macron made, Today, even anOther indirect Reference to ... Mao, concerning his Famous Appeal, at the Beginning of the "Cultural Revolution" back on the "Sixties" (1966+), to "let All Flowers (i.e. Political Ideas) flerish !", by Stressing from the outset, that, Nowadays "it's Time to find a New Debate", where "All Ideas on Europe must be presented !"
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+ And "We must always Hear even Critical Voices and Opposite Views too" : It's "an Indispensable Moment of (mutual) Recognition and Exchanges", Macron advised one of his own Fans, who had appeared anxious about several People's alleged "Misunderstandings" about Europe.
- "Afterwards, we must Explain, become Pedagogic, use Arguments".
>>> In fact, "Even Me, I might, perhaps, sometimes make an Error", and/or "Have Not Seen yet a Point that Others (our Interlocutors) are trying to Suggest", the new French President bravely and rightfully, Acknowledged, clearly Recognizing the Value of Debates' Dialectics also as a means and procedure in order to Seek and Find the Truth, (as World-Famous Ancient Greek Philosopher Platon notoriously supported, particularly through his writings about Socrates' Dialogues).

=> Therefore, Macron called interested EU Citizens to send their Debates to a special Website at the Internet, while Also practicing physical "Human Contacts" in actual Meetings, which are "Useful".
+ We must "Invite even People who are Against Europe, to do themselves some Citizens Consultations, because they are "Pedagogical" and "a Fundamental Tool", particularly during the present "Times, which, for Europeans, are of Essential importance, he urged.
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During a Press Briefing organized by the Elysée Palace, to which "Eurofora" and Other Strasbourg's Medias had been Invited to participate through Tele-Conference methods at the Eve of Macron's visit to EU Parliament here, the Accent had been put mainly on 2 Key-Points :
(A) that Everybody could Participate and/or Organize such a "Citizens' Consultation" on Europe's Future, by Internet and/or through Meetings, etc., i.e. not only Public Authorities, Politicians or Experts, but also Associations, Students, even a Simple Citizen.
(B) On the Condition to provide also for a kind of "Restitution" of the main Results of that Consultation, to a Centralized Body specially set up in order to Monitor the Organisation of such Events, Collect and Preserve their Outcome.
=> I.e., a Mechanism apparently Conceived to be Easy for EU Citizens to Replicate almost Everywhere throughout Europe, while also allowing to have an Overall View of the Total Input.
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QUESTIONS...
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Introducing to "1,5 Hour of Exchanges" <<Live>> between several Hundreds of registered EU Citizens and the French President at Epinal's Congress Center, (in the presence of various Politicians and Elysée's Press Pool of Paris and Strasbourg Accredited Journalists, just arrived from an EU Parliament RDV in a Special Bus, including "Eurofora",

Macron Started by briefly Resuming the main points of his short Presentation to the Debate with MEPs, Earlier this Morning, about his Preference for a "United, Democratic and Sovereign Europe" (See relevant "Eurofora"s NewsReport at : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/macronineuparliamentaskscitizensdebates.html) :
- I.e, the "Capacity to give your Own Rules", and "to Exist in the World", in Addition to the National Sovereignity of each EU Member Country, but particularly for Issues such as Migration, Digital Technologies and Protection of private Data, Energy, (etc), where "Size" matters in order to be Efficient, f.ex. facing USA, China, etc., as he reminds.
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=> EU Citizens' Questions issued from that 1st such event, organized this time by a special team under the State Secretary for EU Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, touch upon a Variety of Concrete Issues around Europe, and Receive Macron's Replies, one by one, taking enough Time to enter, in a Fast and Sharp, but Substantial way, into the Heart of the matter, real Practice included, whenever needed :

F.ex., among many others, (See Note at the End), it's also about:
- whether we should Speak about "Europeans", or not, (in Addition to every EU Citizen's National Identity, which remains valid and pertinent, practically co-existing with the EU level);
- the 2008 Economic Crisis, Banks and Speculation (resulting also to the Current Need for the EU to "Complete Banking Union", etc) ;
- whether the French "NO" Vote of 2005 (followed also by that of Netherlands, Ireland, etc, i.e. on the Occasion of a Draft EU Constitution, shortly After Opening controversial and unpopular EU "Accession" Negotiations with Turkey) corresponded to a Political "Error" (See also Infra) ;
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- the recent USA-UK-France AirStrikes in Syria (after allegations of Chemical weapons in Ghouta Suburb in Damascus Capital City, until recently occupied by Islamist Terrorists and Other Armed Rebels) ;
- Economic situation's Need to "Settle the Real Problems, Instead of Wasting Public Funds" aggravating a Public Deficit, (as f.ex, Germany did, back from 2009, when it "was in Greater Recession" than France, But managed to avoid more Deficit) ;
- Space High-Tech's developments in a World-wide competition and EU's role, (an anew Topical Issue, due to be partly debated also in an EU Parliament's STOA Committee's Panel of Experts, later this week in Strasbourg, on Thursday Morning, April 19) ;
- the eventual creation of an "EU ID Card", (in Addition to the National one, during the Next EU Mandate of 2019-2024, and also in order to Help Manage the recent Mass Irregular Migration Issues, etc) ;
- (anew : Comp. Supra) the 2005 "NO" Vote, which was just "Droped by Bureaucrats", making People wonder : - "Why Debate again ?", (Macron reacting by Finding "Better a Good Debate" going on the Substance of the Issues really at stake, "Instead of Only a Yes or No", but also Promising that there will be "Not any Structural Change withOut Asking the People"'s views, in order "Not to Repeat the 2005 ... Betrayal of Democracy", as he Harshly Criticized it);
- Why EU Countries do "Not yet Speak all in 1 Voice" on "Foreign Policy", (where Macron pointed, f.ex., to a succesfull Negotiation with Iran by EU's Representative, Federica Mogherini, and did Not Exclude that also in the Future, when CFSPolicy would become Identical for EU Countries, But Warning that there are "Not Yet" "Identical Views and Interests", due also to History/GeoPolitics, since f.ex. "some EU Member Countries were Invaded by Turkey", as he reminded, while Others had special links to Russia in the Past, etc., added also to the Fact that "there are Different Rules on Military Operations" : F.ex., "Only France can Act Fast", while "Others need Long Parliamentary Debates", etc);
- "Energy Sovereignity" for Europe, (apparently Not Possible in Short Term, Difficult in Medium, since, f.ex., France = Independent, but Others still Depend on Russia, or Turkey, etc. But we "Can Coordinate" actions Now, and "Afterwards Advance further, When our Interests are the Same". But, during the Next Decades, many EU Member Countries may still be based on some Different Foreign Policy options);
- "English Language" domination ? (a problem to be Solved via Pluri-Linguism : I.e. by systematically Learning at least 3 Languages = Mother Tongue, English, and anOther one, f.ex. French, etc. It's not normal for most French to be almost the Only in the World to stay Traditionally Uni-Lingual in practice. In such a context, Sometimes, even African Languages can be Useful to Europe : f.ex. they are of decisive importance for Development, etc);
- Several Rural Areas, (including, f.ex., even those Vosges' Mountains), "do Not yet really Profit from the EU", complained another, Local participant. (This concerns, mainly, Road/Rail Infrastructures, where Germany's experience of - 30% Less Cost for efficient Local/Regional Railroad Links can be Useful. On Agricultural Policy, National States still remain in charge, but they Need an EU Complement. It's true that "Metropolisation-Effects", visible f.ex. in Strasbourg, don't exist in Provinces. But the development of Digital Technologies and High-Speed Networks, spreading all-over the Country, added to "Tele-Work" and "if we get a Full Digital Market" in the EU, with Hundreds of Millions of potential Customers, could bring a Big Change, giving a Chance to Rural Areas, where the Quality of Nature and Everyday Life is often Better, rightfully observed Macron - who has had also an interesting Experience there, as former Minister of Economy, when he signed a relevant Agreement between the French State and Strasbourg's Alsace Region about Spreading High-Speed Internet Networks : See "Eurofora"s NewsReport from the relevant Press Conference, then, at: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/strasbourgregionpresidentrichertandfrencheconomyministermacrononhighspeedinternet.html ).
- A partly Related, critical Question concerned specifically a key part of Agriculture : F.ex., an Animal Raising Farmer said that there were "Enough Roads", and even a "Good Sanitary Quality" of Farm Products, as milk, meat, etc., but they were "No More Competitive in the Jobs' Market" abroad. (Macron, inter alia, observed, in Reply, that, in fact, it's just a Part of that Jobs-chain which raised problems in trade, referred also to recent EU Debates and moves on the Wider Issue of "Posted Workers", and appeared optimist for the future. "Eurofora" remembers that Similar Questions had been raised, in a recent Past, also by Neigbouring Alsace Region Farmers, concerning, then, the Comparative Cost of Lowest Salaries for Seasonal Workers in Agriculture, particularly in adjacent German areas before the recent introduction of a Lower Salary Guarantee, where we were, indeed, Surprized to find that even the Price of Milk was Cheaper than in France, while most Cows were Born, Raised and Exported by France to Germany and other EU Countries !)
- Frustrated by the obvious Lack of any Radical, fully-fledged "Anti-European", or, at least, "Euro-Sceptic", be it from the Far Right or the Far Left area of the Political Spectrum, (that Mrs Loiseau's Team had, perhaps, found Difficult to discover when they organized that 1st Citizens' Consultation), President Macron, Finally, exploded with a sincere Cry : - But, isn't there anyone who has at least Doubts about the European Project ?...
- The guy who Dared raise his hand in public, apparently did his best, but didn't really convince about his supposed "Euro-sceptic" stance, (since we have all seen "Better", even among some EU Parliament's MEPs...) : He Briefly evoked "Migration" Problems, but preferred to Focus on the Price of everyday consumption goods. F.ex., even the Wine ("Picon") that I use to drink, Nowadays Costs almost X 3 Times More than in the Past, he complained...
- "Your Wine ("Picon")'s Price is Not Fixed by the EU", sharply Replied Macron. But it's True that there are, indeed, also some Other Popular, Everyday Consumption Goods, such as, f.ex., even Coffee, Bread, etc. in Paris too, whose Prices have gone up, some years ago, and this is another, Different Issue that We have to Fix, he observed.
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>>> Concluding this 1st EU Citizens' Consultation, the embattled French President applied his own Recipe, to be Pedagogical :
- Always Remember the Main things : "PEACE - FREEDOM - SIZE", he resumed :
=> EU Avoided Wars during More than 60 Years, stoping Military Domination Dreams as Never Before ; Helps Respect Citizens' Human Rights Better than several Authoritarian Regimes around the World ; offers a Market X more than 10 Times Wider than our National Market, and, more generally, EU has the Size required in order to be able to Deal with certain Big Issues in the World (Comp., f.ex., Supra, etc), as he Briefly, but Substantially, Highlighted in fine.
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Last, but not least : One of the Photo's published here by "Eurofora" was Kindly provided to us, upon our Request, (just after an Electricity Shortage interrupted our own Tool), by a Collegue, Journalist for Radio, Margaretta Svensson, from ...Sweden !
=> One concrete Proof more, that Macron's "EU Citizens' Consultations", may, indeed, have a real Chance to widely Spread accross most EU Member States, (including up to Scandinavia)s..
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***
(NDLR : Obviously, these are some Hasty, InComplete NOTES, taken "Live", on the spot, after 2 or 3 Days withOut Time even to Sleep overNight, particularly Because of some Strange, unjustified Practical Obstacles, including on Timeline Contradictions among Key Events in Strasbourg and Epinal, etc [Comp., f.ex., among others, also: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/macronlsongmarchtoconsulciti.html , etc]. So that, in order to have a really Full and Accurate View of all those Questions/Replies between EU Citizens and President Macron, one has also to Better seek to find a Full VIDEO, at least of the Main Event, which should not omit to Pop up on the Web, sooner or later, since there were some People placed at Key-points in order to take Shots, by just Pressing a Button, and afterwards Simply "Copy-Paste" all at the Internet. => In Consequence, Readers could Usefully COMBINE Both Tools, f.ex., by Chosing at the Above-Mentiioned Written List some Interesting Questions/Replies, and, According to the Approximative Order shown in this List, afterwards Search to Find at a Video on the Web, All or Part of what was actually said, on this or another concrete point).
***
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Scientific innovation joined to Faith for Human Rights, Eastern Partnership and fight against the Crisis, but above all, the need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" from EU Citizens, are the main priorities for new EU Parliament's President, Polish Jerzy Buzek, that a 555-votes-strong majority of MEPs on July 14, Strasbourg made a living symbol of the fact that, 20 years after the fall of Berlin Wall (1989 - 2009) there is no more an Eastern or Western Europe, but only one Europe, as the head of the largest group of MEPs, ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Joseph Daul, stressed after the event.
Speaking later to a group of Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", the new EU Parliament's President clarified his stance on concrete topical issues, as f.ex. that of Turkey's controversial EU bid, which was one of the main issues of the June 2009 Electoral campain, clearly won by his party of ChristianDemocrats/EPP : - "At present, Turkey does not fullfil none of EU conditions", he stressed, (See infra).

Buzek is well known in Strasbourg and to "EuroFora" as EU Rapporteur for the Framework Program of Scientific Research and Development of Technologies. A Natural Science Professor from the Historic and Religious landmark Polish City of Częstochowa, active in the famous Solidarnosk grass-roots social movement, he served 4 years as Prime Minister (1997-2001), before being elected as MEP in 2004 and 2009, after he brillantly won the latest EU Election at the head of his party (EPP) almost doubling the number of its MEPs from 15 to 28 !
- "Innovation" and "Energy safety", as well as fight against the "Cimat change", but also "Eastern Partnership", the "Mediterranean", "Strategic partnerships" with Russia, the USA, etc, and the search for "solutions to the Economic Crisis" that EU Citizens "expect" from us, will be his "priorities", announced from the outset the new EU Parliament's President, reminding also that the quest for "Human and Civic Rights" played an important role in his experience with the Solidarnosc grass-roots social movement in Poland's History
But, the most important of all, is the urgent need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" between EU Institutions and the People he stressed : - EU "Citizens often don't understand us", denounced Buzek, launcing a call to "do anything for EU Citizens to understand our work" in EU Parliament : "We (MEPs) need to make EU Citizens involved" in "what we are doing every week, in Strasbourg and Brussels", he proposed. Pointing f.ex. to the hot "Debates" with "strong arguments" exchanged between MEPs during the preparation of their Legislative Decisions, in Committees, delivering often hard struggles between initially opposed points of view, long before forging a majority at the final vote, sometimes more than a year..
Therefore, EU Parliament will be "open to your criticism, for discussion and exchange of views", he promissed to Journalists in Strasbourg.
In this way, Buzek, in fact, highlighted "EuroFora"s main idea, that we strongly advocate since 1997-2007, to systematicaly and actively involve EU Citizens in public debates during the decision-making process of important EU measures, which affect their lives and the society in which they live, (and not only just a few weeks each 4 or 5 Years at the eve of EU Elections)...
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This is related also to the symbolic gift that Buzek chose to give to the out-going former EU Parliament's President, Hans Gert Poettering, (2007-2009), his collegue in the ChristianDemocrats/EPP, who brillantly won 2009 EU Elections in Germany : A genuine statute of sainte Barbara crafted in Silesia's black Coal by Polish Miners : Those simple but strong people who fought for social change against some technocrats and bureaucrats disguissed into so-called "real-socialists" of old times. (PHOTO).
It's enough to have seen a popular open air mass, at Warsaw's center, with many thousands of people, old and young, simple workers and intellectuals mixed together, with references to Poland's history and struggles for survival and liberty, through various ages, (as fex. that organized at the eve of CoE's 2005 panEuropean Heads of State and Government for the beatification of late Pope John-Paul II), in order to understand what such symbols mean..

But, overcoming the "Crisis of Trust" with EU Citizens obviously implies also to rectify any errors done in the past, fex. on Turkey's controversial EU bid, with controversial decisions taken in 1999 and 2004 to give a "candidate" status and to start EU negotiations, provoking an unprecedented series of 3 "No" to EuroReferenda and 3 Majoriy Abstentions in EU Parliament Elections : 1999, 2005 and 2009, (even if the latest one succeeded to decelerate and almost stop the drop of participation rates, opening hopes for vote's revival after an electoral campaign clearly critical to Turkey's claims in several mainstream EU countries)
Therefore, Buzek was faced with manifold critical Questions on EU Enlargement, most of them citting concrete examples of certain political problems : But his replies were almost always given as a matter of general principle :
F.ex. Questioned on the suspension of EU - Croatia talks because of a Border conflict with EU Member Slovenia, Buzek prefered to speak about principles :
- "We know that during Enlargement, the process can be blocked by failure to resolve this kind of issues", This concerns also other enlargments' cases", and "these rules are always in force" he warned.
But Buzek avoided to directly reply to a queston on "French and German EPP' calls to define the Borders of Europe", as a German journalist asked him by making a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angie Merkel's, critical statements on Turkey at the June 2009 Electoral campain.
- "Concerning Enlargement, there's always the same rules : There have to be Criteria, which have to be respected if a Country wants to join the EU", he started to simply reply.
- "For my country (Poland) it took us 15 Years to fullfil these Criteria", Buzek reminded, indicating, if proportions are kept, that Turkey, fex. would have to spend some 25 years before eventually joining the EU..
- "Countries wishing to join the EU need to Change their Systems", as we (Poland and other former Eastern European Countries) did, he stressed.
- "'For me, meeting the condition of Human Rights is one of the Key conditions for membership in the EU", preferring again to speak from the point of view of General Principles, on the occasion of an untimely question on Serbia (which is not even a candidate yet)...
- "Turkey" has, "first of all", to fullfil (EU) Copenhagen criteria". Bevause, currently, none of them is fullfiled by Turkey", New EU Parliament's President, denounced, speaking later to a group of Journalists, including "EuroFora".
In particular, on Human Rights : - "We (EU) can never forget Human Rights", because "this is at the very Foundations of the EU", Buzek added.
On the contrary, when he referred to EU Enlargment for the "Western Balkans Countries ", Buzek appeared upbeat, finding "promising situations", despite "difficulties" in the Past, since "Countries are queuing to become EU members", and this "generated changes", as he said.
As for Russia, Buzek observed that it was a "very important" country, located "in the same Continent", Europe, "close to our borders", and "we need eachother". "But Russia' has 'differend poblems : "They claim that their system is Democratic, but rules are differend", and we must be "aware of such differencies", fex. "on Human Rights", that we can't ignore, as he said;
Concerning China, where a journalist observed that the recipient of EU Parliament's latest "Sakharov prize" for freedom of thought is "still in prison", Buzek found that since the 1999 events in Tien Amin square, "we see differencies on Human Rights still today", and expressed his "support" for those who try to ameliorate the situation.
On the contrary, speaking recently to "EuroFora" he strongly supported the idea for an EU - Ukraine cooperation, fex. between Airbus and Antonov, in order to build a less costly but more performant than the old and problematic A400M, new Military Transport Airplane : - "They (Ukranian Antonov Company) can certainly do it. I'm sure they can. It's a good Idea, and I'd be glad if it was done", he told us. (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/airbusantonov.html )