Citizens get a chance to quiz Giscard on the Convention

Date: 24/10/02

By Martin Banks

VALERY Giscard d'Estaing, chairman of the Convention on the future of Europe, is to hold a 90-minute online debate with the public on the crucial reforms being discussed by the forum.

The interactive 'chat', which takes place on Monday (28 October), is aimed at giving both experts and ordinary citizens the chance to air their views on the direction they think Europe should take. Giscard, the former French president, will no doubt be quizzed on the proposed structure of a constitutional treaty which he is due to unveil at Monday's plenary meeting of the Convention in Brussels.

The online debate, from 8-9.30pm, will be held in the 11 'official' EU languages.

Giscard's spokesman, Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, said: 'This is an innovative move and Giscard hopes to connect with as many people as possible.'

More details of the debate are available at http://european-convention.eu.int.

Giscard will limit himself to presenting a 'skeleton' of the future constitutional treaty at this stage. His outline document, around 15 pages in length, has been discussed with members of the Convention praesidium.

Meyer-Landrut has said it will almost certainly be modified early in the New Year, once each of the Convention's working groups have submitted their reports.

The Convention's 105 members will come under pressure at next week's two-day meeting to focus on two 'glaring' omissions in their work: social affairs and citizenship.

The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) and the Youth Forum Jeunesse have written to every member urging them to tackle these areas. ENAR spokesman Vera Egenberger said: 'We believe that European citizenship should be the subject of a full-scale debate at a future plenary session.'

A petition has also been launched by a cross-party group of MEPs urging Giscard and Convention members to give social affairs more attention. Belgian Socialist member Anne van Lancker said: 'There is widespread concern that the Convention is totally missing the social dimension.

'We are calling on the Convention to refocus the debates and to set up a working group on social affairs.'

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, chairman of the Convention on the future of Europe, is to hold a 90-minute online debate with the public on the crucial reforms being discussed by the forum, 28 October 2002.