*{Prozac for Europe [http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/Prozac%20for%20Europe?open&topic_id=300350000&theme_id=300]

            03.07.2001

            European Economic Summit 2001}

            In a nutshell: the root of the malady now facing European civil society could be found in the fact that “citizens were simply not being consulted”, stated session moderator, Thierry Malleret, the World Economic Forum's Director for Europe and Central Asia. In order to alleviate this condition, the World Economic Forum, in cooperation with House of Mandag Morgen, has initiated the “Bridging Europe” project, linking Europe’s five major stakeholders: business, politics, NGOs, academia and the media. Within a period of three years, this project hopes to offer concrete solutions to the current democratic deficit. 

            Speaking for the continent’s social NGOs, Giampiero Alhadeff, Secretary-General of Solidar, warned the participants that Europe is losing its population. People are fed up with the EU merely rearranging the chairs around the table, of agenda setting and decision-making. In order to actually put something substantial on the table the European Charter of Fundamental Rights should have been anchored in the Nice treaty. Further practical steps towards more inclusion might include the direct election of the Commission and the establishment of truly continental parties on the European Parliament level, stated Alhadeff. With respect to enlargement, the NGO leader criticised the fact that the Commission is undermining the work of his and many other non-governmental organizations by prohibiting EU funds, earmarked for work in the accession process, from being used in the candidate countries themselves. Heather Grabbe, Research Director of the Centre for European Reform in the United Kingdom, laid out a clear plan for improving the Union’s decision-making process. She pointed out that the EU is often unable to take credit for it achievements, but is almost always blamed when something goes wrong. She called for more easily understandable European documents, saying that the EU directives are especially difficult to comprehend. Backing up Alhadeff’s call to be more inclusive, she reminded the EU that any attempt to better incorporate the concerns of all Europeans must highlight the dreams and concerns of the accession countries’ populations. 

            Marianne Jelved, Danish Minister of Economic Affairs and Nordic Cooperation, saw a certain “us versus them” mechanism developing in Europe. Citizens identify with their national parliaments at the expense of the EU. She sees a clear need to demystify European decision-making; Europe should not be seen as an intruder. According to Jelved, lack of participation could not be countered by merely offering new forms of meaningless participation. Mart Laar, Prime Minister of Estonia, represented the first round of accession countries. He emphasized that the Baltic populations are concerned that Europe is exporting its democratic deficit to the candidate states. Responding to Alhadeff’s call for direct commission elections, Laar pointed out how apprehensive many small countries are about the clout possessed by the larger EU nations. The negative voting results in both Denmark and Ireland has shown that Europe must not be misunderstood as a “melting pot,” but seen as the champion of cultural diversity. Laar also brought up the “loss of memory” from which many Europeans now seem to be suffering. He remarked that the fact that totalitarian symbols are again being used by the anti-globalization demonstrators outside the Summit venue is an indication that clear alternatives to the past are not being robustly presented. He pointed out that the citizens of his country are less interested in issues of power, finances or even social cohesion within the EU; they are more concerned with access to participation and with equal rights. 

            The Chairman of the Board of Novo Nordisk, Mads Øvlisen, described the way in which his company is supporting civil dialogue in Denmark. Private enterprise has played a key role in setting up the Danish Citizens Panels, uniting NGOs, business, government and international organizations. He warned, however, against the tendency to reintroduce a bloc mentality which would relegate each participant in dialogue to the role of a group representative. He was also worried about the fact that, in Denmark, the business community is often pushed into a role that governments should be taking over. Øvlisen said that Novo Nordisk is supporting the "Bridging Europe" project. Finally, Erik Rasmussen, co-sponsor of the “Bridging Europe” project, presented this promising initiative to the European stakeholders present at the session. He noted that the current European key challenge – enlargement – might soon be replaced by the more pressing issue of a clear lack of democracy within the Union. “Bridging Europe” will start by establishing a more qualified understanding among Europe’s stakeholders, followed by the development of a common language for all concerned. Building on the positive Danish experience with Citizens Panels, this project will include direct and virtual forms of dialogue. “Bridging Europe” will be launched officially at Annual Meeting 2002 in Davos. Speaking as a media professional, Giles Merritt, Secretary-General of Friends of Europe, challenged the European Union and national government leaders to set up new forms of communication. The EU is obviously unable to communicate with its citizens, he stated, and should therefore delegate this responsibility to the NGOs, media and think tanks active in this area. Responding to Merritt from the audience, Gerard Legris, Adviser to the European Commission, countered that the EU could not prejudice the communications process with its citizens by funding dialogue directly. He offered the Union’s extensive translation services and communications infrastructure to all those interested in joining in interaction on the European level. Sonja Licht, Board President of the Yugoslav Fund for an Open Society, challenged Mandag Morgen and the World Economic Forum to not limit dialogue to “Fortress Europe,” as she put it, but to open the process to all Europeans.                   

                  *{Contributors:       Alhadeff Giampiero
                  Grabbe Heather
                  Jelved Marianne
                  Laar Mart
                  Malleret Thierry
                  Merritt Giles
                  Øvlisen Mads
                  Rasmussen Erik}