Friday 23rd March 2007 | |
Leerzeile | |
15.00 – 16.00 | Registration |
16.00 – 16.20 | Welcome and introduction by the organisers |
Gerald Häfner, Mehr Demokratie e.V. (D) Dr. Christoph Strawe, Netzwerk Dreigliederung (D) Sharon Ellul Bonici, EUDemocrats (MT) | |
16.20 – 17.50 | The lack of democracy in the European Union |
Why the EU and the EU Constitution are undemocratic Dr. Michael Efler, board member, Mehr Demokratie e.V. (D) The undemocratic creation of the EU Constitution Etienne Chouard (F) Why the EU Constitution must not be adopted Prof. Karl Albrecht Schachtschneider (D) | |
17.50 – 18.20 | Break |
18.20 – 19.20 | Campaigns to stop the EU Constitution. The French and Dutch experience. |
Conclusions of the European No Campaign (ENC) Thomas Rupp, EUDemocrats, former ENC-coordinator (D) Reports on the Campaign in the Netherlands and France. Why the French and the Dutch people really said „no“? Harry van Bommel MP, Socialist Party (NL) | |
19.20 – 20.00 | Break |
20.00 – 21.30 | Come Together – Networking – Snacks |
Opening of the exhibition “Citizens Agenda“ Géraud de Ville de Goyet, EUDemocrats Introduction of the participating organisations | |
Leerzeile | |
Saturday 24th March 2007 | |
Leerzeile | |
08.30 – 09.00 | Arrival, welcome coffee |
09.00 – 10.00 | The European Union – goals, chances, dangers |
Round Table Debate with input-reports What are the chances and problems of the European Union? What should be its goals? Which democratic reforms are needed to make it a success? Paul Stephenson (UK), Prof. Hans Herbert von Arnim (D), Peter Kopecky (SK), Nikolaj Bliznakov (BG) Nils Lundgren (SE) | |
Leerzeile | |
10.00 – 12.10 | Workshops to collect requests for a democratic reform of the EU |
Leerzeile | |
Workshop 1: Real subsidiarity and decentralisation | |
What is real subsidiarity? How can it be introduced and kept up? Which problems are better solved by the EU, which competences should remain with the member states? What role should national parliaments play? How regimentation and bureaucracy could be reduced? Roman Huber (D) and Ulrich Rösch (D) | |
Workshop 2: How to get a transparent EU | |
How the EU commission can be democratised? How the decision making process in the EU can be more transparent? How lobbyism in Brussels can be controlled? How access to important data and documents can be secured? Erik Wesselius (NL) and Hans-Martin Tillack (D) | |
Workshop 3: Institutional reforms and democratic control | |
Can the existing EU model be reformed? How the institutions and their competences should be changed? Majority voting or unanimity? Why we need new rules for the democratic procedures? How the decision making process could be reformed? Gerald Häfner (D) and Andreas Wehr (D) | |
Workshop 4: Direct democracy on EU-Level | |
What are the advantages and disadvantages of direct democracy (initiative & referendum) on EU politics? How could these instruments look like? What were the consequences for the development of the EU? Juan-Carlos Madroñal (E) and Michael Efler (D) | |
Workshop 5: How to safeguard fundamental rights? | |
Is the EU a hope or a threat to civil liberties as well as social and democratic rights? How can they be widened and developed? Do we need a Charter of fundamental rights? Should the impact of the European Court of Justice be limited? Christoph Strawe (D) and Thomas Rupp (D) | |
12.10 – 12.30 | Break |
12.30 – 13.30 | Plenum |
Conclusions from the workshops with regard to concrete demands. | |
Leerzeile | |
13.30 – 15.00 | Lunch Break |
Leerzeile | |
15.00 – 16.30 | A democratic EU or an EU of democracies? |
Podium – What kind of structure should the EU have? Flexible cooperation, opt-out models, regional cooperation or a European state? How we can safeguard democracy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different models? Prof. Thomas Wallgren (FIN), Patrica McKenna (IRL), David Heathcoat-Amory MP (UK), Tobias Pflüger MEP (D) | |
16.30 – 17.00 | Break |
17.00 – 19.00 | How to create a way towards a Europe of the Citizens? |
Round Table Debate with input-reports – Proposals from the civil society to overcome the democratic and constitutional crisis in Europe How is the democratic and constitutional crisis to be solved? How can we get citizens involved in the future of Europe? Do we need a directly elected Convention, a Citizens‘ Convention, or an alternative EU Constitution? Gerald Häfner (D), Klaus Starke (D), Herbert Schliffka (D), Sven Giegold (D) Raquel Garrido (F) | |
19.00 – 20.00 | Break |
Leerzeile | |
20.15 – 23.00 | Nachtcafé |
Dinner, talks and cultural contributions | |
Leerzeile | |
Sunday 25th March 2007 | |
Leerzeile | |
09.30 – 10.30 | Discussion and adoption of the Berlin Declaration |
11.00 – 13.00 | Public event in Berlin and official Press Conference |
Presentation of our demands to the IGC and to Bundestag. | |
Leerzeile | |
There shall be simultaneous translation (German/English) throughout the whole Conference. |