Notre Europe's viewpoint
| 05/10/2009
« Yes » or « no », those were the two choices open to our Irish friends, called to give their opinion once again in a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on October 2nd. No room for a middle ground. They said "Yes" by a majority of 67%, thereby giving the Union a chance to make progress. A "No" would have been interpreted as a rejection of the development of a European construction. But do we meet our citizens' expectations by asking them every 5 years to make a fundamental choice regarding the framework of the European construction, whilst neglecting to inform and include them in the major legislative decisions that will, brick by brick, form this structure?
It is high time to think about keeping European democracy alive day-to-day. The renewed European Parliament will have a crucial role to play but national politicians remain key figures whose task is to explain the decisions ratified by Ministers in Brussels. It is also their role to be more creative and to form new relations through the best possible use of regional and local intermediaries in order to prevent European questions from being viewed as incomprehensible and remote. Once citizens have understood the complexity and the multidimensional character of these challenges, and once they are asked to give less binary opinions, it so happens that they have their own views to assert.
This fact is well illustrated by a study conducted by the Médiascopie Institute for Notre Europe and Liberation on « Les mots de l'Europe » (Europe's Words). Which words determine Europe's future in the eyes of the French? Which words protect them and which present a threat? The survey examined over 200 words related to the European Union and the results, sometimes surprising, provide important lessons.
« Peace » is the word that stands out as representing the most important value of French citizens. On the opposite side of the scale, they place words that, according to them, constitute a fear or threat like "fascism", "fundamentalism", "terrorism" or "tax havens". We can distinguish, in a broader sense, six great expectations: sustainable development, peace and democracy, multiple identities, security, economic growth and the free movement of people in the Union. We also notice that words making reference to past elements such as the foundations of the European project, prominent politicians, or the founding objectives of European integration, scored well. It is to this last point that Gaetane Ricard-Nihoul, Secretary General of Notre Europe, reacts in her article "Une idée qui vient de loin" published in Liberation during the "Forum de Liberation" held in Lyon in partnership with Notre Europe.
Notre Europe's various activities echo the concerns and expectations of the French people with regards to the Union. Notre Europe regularly reaffirms its support to the cohesion policy's founding principles. The public presentation of Barca's report "An Agenda for a Reformed Cohesion Policy", held in Paris on September 14th with an introductory address by Marjorie Jouen, and the Seminar "Which Common Policy for Agriculture and Rural Areas beyond 2013?" that took place on September 17th in Stockholm have put the need for greater solidarity between member states back at the heart of the debate.
