Governance and citizenship

The platform of European associations representing local and regional authorities will submit its proposals concerning Title 6 of the draft Constitution regarding the democratic life of the Union, at the Convention plenary session this Friday 4 April.
 

The associations state that Title 6 must define tomorrow's EU as 'a model of democratic governance that associates the authorities acting as a link between the citizens and the EU institutions".

They call for two specific points to be added to Title 6 :

- Democracy of proximity must be included as corollary to participatory democracy. The European model of democracy must be implemented at all levels (local, regional, national and European) according to the principle of proximity. Such democracy must be at the heart of the European Union in order to improve citizens participation and involvement in the life of the EU, thus diminishing the feeling of exclusion from institutional debates Europeans can have.

 

- Principles of good governance and consultation must also be included.

Openness, transparency, participation, accountability and consultation of all actors involved through their representative organisations must be recognised as one of the pillars of European democracy, according to the principle of subsidiarity.
 

Both points reflect the consensus reached at the 7 February 2003 plenary session of the Convention over the need to inscribe the local and regional dimension in the future EU Constitution.