On-line journal no. 4 – July 2012 - Modelling the New Europe

On-line Journal Modelling the New Europe
Issue no. 4/2012
The European instances take into account three valid scripts. The first one is included in
the project of the “Information Society”, which constitutes a whole chapter in the “White
Paper of Growth, competitiveness, employment. The challenges and ways forward into the
21st century” (EC: 1994). Democracy depends on people being able to take part in public
debate. To do this, they must have access to reliable information on European issues and be
able to scrutinize the policy process in its various stages. Major progress has been made in
2001 with the adoption of new rules, giving citizens greater access to Community
documents.
However, the Institutions and Member States also need to communicate more actively with
the public on European issues.
The communication policy of the Commission and the other Institutions (EC: 2001) will
promote efforts to deliver information at national and local level, where possible making
use of networks, grassroots organizations and national, regional, and local authorities.
Information should be presented in a way adapted to local needs and concerns, and be
available in all official languages if the Union does not desire to exclude a vast proportion
of its population –a challenge which will become more acute in the context of enlargement.
Information and communication technologies have an important role.
Providing more information and more communication that is effective are a pre-condition
for generating a sense of belonging to Europe. The aim should be to create a trans-national
“space” where citizens from different countries can discuss what they perceive as being the
important challenges for the Union. This should help policy makers to stay in touch with
European public opinion, and could guide them in identifying European projects, which
mobilize public support.
A well‐known and much debated expression of this participatory engineering approach in
EU politics is the Commission ‘White Paper on European Governance’. The Commission’s
intention with the White Paper is to find new means “to connect Europe with its citizens”
(EC 2001: 3). Yet the concept of participation in the White Paper remains vague; it
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