EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The European Commission is to announce a major “listening exercise” in a bid to curry favour with citizens who have become disillusioned with the EU.
The commission’s “Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate”, obtained by the EUobserver, will be presented on Thursday (13 October) by communications commissioner Margot Wallstrom.
The plan is part of the commission’s contribution to the “period of reflection” called by EU leaders in June, following the French and Dutch rejections of the EU constitution.
But key parts of the proposal put the ball firmly in the member states’ court, by urging governments to start a series of national debates on the political role of the EU.
It calls on the 25 national governments to “take the necessary steps to structure a national debate as soon as possible” and agree on a “feedback process”.
The commission stresses that Plan D should not be seen “as a rescue operation for the constitution”, but it does suggest the debates should focus on the economy, the EU’s competencies and the EU’s role in the world.
Opening up its own polices for questioning, the commission says proper feedback from the debates should ensure that there will be “a direct impact on the policy agenda of the European Union.”
