Closing conference in Brussels – we start a new Europe now

By Marta Gawinek - Dagargulia

 













Every day we hear more and more about the crisis of the belief in the European concept. Lack of understanding of the EU, no feeling of belonging... In fact, it is difficult to love Europe today. A remedy would be more participation of European citizens that creates stronger feeling of belonging and understanding of the EU. 

However, the postulate for more participation in the EU has been demanded so many times. Therefore the participants of the I AM EUROPE project decided to take matters into their own hands and instead of talking about change start being this change from now on.

They made specific proposals in several areas of how to enhace participation of European citizens in the policy making. They presented them at the Closing Conference in Brussels on 22^nd June. Let me mention a few of them:

I AM EUROPE newspaper launched at the conference is one of the bridges to make the distance between European Union and its citizens smaller. The newspaper makes the EU citizenship more accessable by giving specific answers of what does Europe mean to real individuals. It covers issues  burning in the hearts of Europeans – how to empower communities, how to foster transparency, cope with ageing society, create public spaces developed with community participation? The European citizens report directly from their sites trying to criticise constructively, i.e. while reporting about the vicitims of housing crisis in Spain and their ways of protest and participation.

How to enhance EU functioning awareness? Let us use the experience from Belgium of G1000 meetings or organise town hall meetings once every year on the Day of Europe - 9^th May to discuss the future of Europe and to foster more colaboration between politics and citizens.

How to make allocation of the EU funds into public spaces more participatory? Following the good local practice from Bulgaria of Community Participation Forum let us organise meetings of different stakeholders in the field of urban planning and involve local communities into the planning process and priorities setting of EU grant allocations for public spaces. As a result, the local authorities might be obliged to ensure a code of conduct which foresees participation process in budgeting and implementation of the projects for public spaces.  This will make the idea of public spaces for people and by people come true.

How to foster social inclusion? Let us use mapping tool created by the I AM EUROPE citizens as a social change platform. Showing civic engagement initatives from all over Europe will be a bottom up approach to involve those who have so far been marginalised, such as lonely mothers, the poor ones, Roma minority. Everyone can share good practices related to social inclusion initiatives in a very easy way and promote them all around Europe.

2013, the year of European citizens is an additional occasion to this about what European citizenship exactly means to the people and instead of convincing the citizens to believe in the concept, encourage them to create another Europe they will really love. The citizens gathered around I AM EUROPE has just started to make Europe really lovely.

Europeans demand water as human right

1.5m Europeans demand water – as a human right

Kita Boncheva, Germany/Bulgaria

The first-ever European  Citizens’ Initiative – Water is a Human Right – is about to land  on the laps of the European Commission. 

The initiative collected over 1.5m signatures across Europe. The seven-country threshold was passed. Austria, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Slovenia all gathered the minimum number of signatures required. 

The core issue of this initiative is that water is a public good and not a commodity. The campaign will continue until November 2013 in order to raise awareness in other EU countries.

The body leading the campaign, the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), is cooperating with organisations such as the European Anti-Poverty Network, European Environmental Bureau and the European Public Health Association.

2m people deprived

The ECI initiative wants EU institutions and member states to be obliged to ensure that citizens have proper water and sanitation – which around 2m people in Europe do not enjoy.

A second demand is that water supply/management of water resources not be subject to market rules and that water services be excluded from liberalisation. Also, many people are threatened with disconnection as they cannot pay their bills; the argument is that government has a responsibility to provide services to everyone.

The third demand is that the EU increase its efforts to achieve universal access to water and sanitation. Worldwide, 800m people lack access to water and over 2bn lack sanitation.

Erasmus: is it any use?

Erasmus : Is it any use ?

BENJAMIN FAUQUET, FRANCE

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2012, ERASMUS (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students), is – by some measurements – the most successful student exchange programme in the world. But what kind of student actually benefits, what are the main barriers to participation, and how useful is Erasmus to those who do participate?

Europe is only outdone by Asia in terms of the mobility of students during their studies. Since it was launched in 1987, over 2m European students have studied abroad thanks to Erasmus. So the total number is impressive – but, in fact, only a small proportion of students actually get on the programme. In 2012 just 4%, or 190,000, of all students in Europe participated. 

1. Photofit of the average Erasmus student

Upper-middle class: According to many European studies, the typical Erasmus student is female (more than 60%), from an upper-middle-class family and in the third year of a law, social sciences or humanities degree, while at least one of her parents studied at third level.

The overall statistics may suggest that Erasmus is ‘open to all’; in fact, it is closed not only to most young people but also to most third-level students. As well, it can be hard to find a suitable course; a high academic standard is demanded, and the financial costs involved are heavy.

2. The long hard road to Erasmus

Obstacle one: lots of paperwork

The Erasmus hopeful can face quite a rigmarole: the babylonian administration system of their faculty or university, and the need to fill out lots of application forms, etc.

Obstacle two: the cost

The average Erasmus scholarship provides the student with €120 per month – but the average price to rent accommodation is about €350 a month in Barcelona, €400 in Paris or €450 in Stockholm (free taxes). No wonder that students every year go all out to win accommodation on campus – but places are limited.

“The Erasmus scholarship is about €100 a month. That is useful but, as you can imagine, it is not enough,” says Valeriane Brabant, currently an Erasmus student at Madrid. 

The number of students who get financial support is only 4.5%. But never mind – no matter what social background, every student has the option of getting a long-term loan, say over 10 years, and once graduated, working hard to pay it back …

Obstacle three: the language barrier

To add to the financial barrier, there’s the language barrier. The Erasmus Intensive Language Course (EILC) programme offers crash courses, but they’re not available in some of Europe’s main languages: English, Spanish, German and French. That’s rather odd, considering that the most chosen destinations are … England, Spain, Germany and France. 

It’s quite a problem for another reason also: many students go to another country principally to learn a language or to improve their linguistic skills. 

4. ‘Lack of trust’ and course mismatches

Another problem is that one in five students who participates in an Erasmus exchange has to retake courses and exams after failing to be given full credit for studies abroad.

A survey of almost 9,000 Erasmus students in 2010-11 showed that around 25% reported receiving only partial credit for work done abroad, while 3% per cent gained no credit when returning home (Erasmus Student Network).

3. So what do students get out of Erasmus?

The movie L’Auberge Espagnole by Cédric Klapisch (funded in part by the European Commission) is influencing the current nomad student generation. It tells the story of a young man from a well-off family who decides to spend an Erasmus year in Barcelona. He enjoys a rich ‘human experience’ and develops a network of international friends. When he returns home, he decides to quit his job in the finance ministry to pursue his childhood dream: to be a writer. 

Beyond this ‘fantasy’, what do participants get out of Erasmus? When you ask them, they highlight above all the “human experience” – discovering a foreign country, learning its language and making international friends. 

Antoine Godbert, responsible for the French Erasmus budget, in 2012 described the typical Erasmus student as “very adaptable in a time of crisis”. He said they acquired both specialised skills in their area of expertise and non-formal skills, as well as greater proficiency in a foreign language. 

However, employers know very little about the whole Erasmus enterprise and thus do not give much credit to Erasmus students. While they are becoming more familiar with Erasmus, there is still a long way to go.

“We are Europe … at last!”

Exclusive: Reports from the future – Nov 2013 to Dec 2020

 In late May, a member of the editorial team of this newspaper was sitting outside a café sipping water and perusing her iPad, when old-fashioned sheets of paper dropped from the sky on to her lap – the printout of a journal or blog. The odd thing was: the dates of all the entries were in the future, all the way to 2020. Despite the cynics, as newspaper producers we know that miracles of timing (and mistiming) happen now and again. We thus present you with extracts from these fascinating reports from the future.

4 July 2013: Thugs stab to death three young immigrants in Athens. Although the vast majority of Greeks despise them, support for Golden Dawn has soared. No surprise: we ‘saved’ Greece by pauperising its citizens.

11 Sept 2013: When times were good, the EU could play with high-sounding, ‘happy family’ ideals; when things came down to money, realpolitik came to the fore: elite power, national interest, individual interests and, trumping everything else, international finance. Instead of a Europe of Citizens we’ve a Europe divided between lenders/gamblers and debtors, north and south, natives and foreigners …

1 Jan 2014: One in five young people in the EU are unemployed – the future citizens of Europe. Happy New Year!

26 Feb 2014: Still no growth in the EU. These harsh economic remedies worked out by some of the best minds in Europe are superb. Just a minor problem – they’re not working. The weaker countries are spinning down an economic death spiral. Citizens have little or no say in the policies adopted, but have to take the pain. Not knowing what’s good for them, they don’t think that’s fair. The ‘good citizens’ feel alienated, the ‘crazies’ thrive. Attacks on immigrants from Finland to France and Hungary to Greece. Let’s blame strangers for all our troubles, in proportion to the darkness of their skin. Then everything will be wonderful, and we can all go to the beach to deepen our tans (and tattoos).

27 May 2014: Shock, yet predictable, results in the Parliament elections. Many eurosceptics elected. The far-right can now make up a formal political group (they’ll get funding for promotional activities!): 47 MEPs representing more than a quarter of member states: French Front National (17 seats), Jobbik in Hungary (4), Golden Dawn in Greece (3), Italian New Mussolini Party (4), Bulgarian Ataka (3), Greater Romania Party (4), Deutschland Allein (3), Austrian Freedom Party (4), Belgian Vlaams Belang (1), British National Party (3) and Swedish Democrats (1). Where the far-right hasn’t gained votes, it’s because mainstream parties have stolen some of their thunder. Parliament’s going to be a much noisier forum. But right-wingers like going on the attack; maybe they’ll start fighting each other before long.

1 Jan 2015: One in six young people in the EU are unemployed. Happy New Year! The withdrawal of the financial tide revealed the rocky wastes of European democracy. But the good thing is that citizens are now demanding to be taken seriously. They’re working out new ways to engage in public discourse and influence decision-making. Thousands of them, all across Europe. And the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) has been hugely improved. …. The far-right are screaming, but many more citizens are talking. Hopeful signs!

4 Oct 2015: Catalonia has declared independence. Madrid’s up in arms (though not literally, mercifully). That’ll weaken the Spanish economy.

12 Feb 2016: A huge gathering of representatives of citizens organisations from every member state, organised by the Evens Foundation, meets in Antwerp – the biggest such event ever organised. They seem to mean business.

7 April 2016: Aviva Eskenazi, leader of the Greek Citizens Party, looks interesting. “We are not an economy. We are citizens. We are Europe,” she says, and: “A totally free market leads to slavery.” Her work behind the scenes shows these aren’t empty slogans. She’s meeting citizens organisations all over Europe.

21 July 2016: A report says up to 27,000 people in the EU have died as a result of the ‘austerity’ measures (health cutbacks, suicide, etc). How do they work out these figures? But being exact is not the point: austerity kills. The good news, though, is that EU growth overall is now at 0.45%, unemployment is down 1.2% – and sales of BMWs to Greece have risen by 2.1% in the first six months of the year. Hallelujah!

3 Jan 2017: Millions of citizens demonstrate in all the capitals of Europe, demanding a voice at the highest levels of the EU … more than a million in Brussels, 600,000 in Paris, 350,000 in Warsaw, and so on. A key demand is the creation of a new position: an elected Citizens President of the EU.

28 June 2017: In the UK referendum on EU membership, voters narrowly support staying in – despite decades of daily rubbish in newspapers about Brussels dictators and funny foreigners. Mixed reactions in the EU. Relief for newly independent Scotland!

1 Jan 2018: One in seven young people in the EU are unemployed. Only 14.286 out of 100. Progress. Happy New Year!

16 Feb 2018: Golden Dawn thugs, shouting anti-semitic slogans, threw rotten eggs at Eskenazi last night. More mildly, some say she’s ambitious, rising on a wave of populism, etc. Others say it’s ironic that the drive to increase citizen power is based so much on a single person. It’s not. She is simply the pinnacle of the citizens movement that took off in late 2013. She genuinely, precisely reflects the needs and wishes of Europe’s citizenry. And she’s been fighting tooth and nail, through hours and hours of discussions and debates, to turn her/our vision of Europe into reality.

27 April 2018: In Parliament, one of the Mussolini-ite MEPs came up with a provocative ‘Balkan’ insult; Bulgarian and Romanian far-right MEPs walked out and are expected to quit the Free Europe far-right group. More insults, please!

12 Aug 2018: Eskenazi has been elected as the first Citizens President of the EU, winning overwhelming support from e-voters all round Europe. She says the big problem of democratic reform is, first, how to promote “mass deliberation” – “How can we bring people into the political process in conditions where they can be engaged to think seriously about public issues?” Secondly: “How can we advance democracy by empowering citizens to make key policy decisions.” Thirdly: “What institutions and processes do we need that can aggregate and balance divergent citizen interests into a coherent policy programme?”

15 Oct 2018: I AM EUROPE has proposed setting up a European Citizens Assembly. It cites the example of the British Columbia Citizens Assembly, the first time a citizen body was given the power to reform fundamental political institutions.‪

12 Jan 2019: European Citizens Assembly formally established! Experts will join with citizens in the deliberative process, to overcome the problems of technical complexity; citizen representatives will be randomly selected rather than self-selected, to avoid organised, well-resourced interests; measures to ensure the Assembly’s decisions will be taken seriously, and so on. Meanwhile, the far-right MEPs are fighting among themselves like cats and dogs, severely damaging their cause. Quel dommage!

22 June 2019: Already, the Citizens Assembly has provoked major changes in the running of the EU. Sensible regulation of the financial system, progressive taxation, citizen-centred decision-making, etc. Politicians are tripping over each other in a competition to emit the most references to ‘citizens’ in their speeches. Trust in the EU has soared.

3 Nov 2020: Eskenazi dismisses attempts to ‘beatify’ her: “Since the participatory structures for citizens were missing, someone was temporarily required to represent EU citizens and help to set up these structures. Without all the active citizens, I’d have been nothing. My job was to make the need for me disappear.”

16 Dec 2020: So, it wasn’t the bureaucrats, technocrats, austeritocrats, rating agencies, merkelists or marketists that transformed Europe into a more or less democratic project. How surprising! It was the citizens of Europe themselves, with the help of Aviva Eskenazi. How clear it’s become that ‘no man is an island’, that EU member states and their citizens can only thrive together, The ‘lazy’ southern European states, now they’ve recovered, are helping Germany, Finland and the Netherlands through their economic collapses. And sales of BMWs in Greece have soared!

The principle that all decision-making, whether financial, economic or political, must be citizen-centred now permeates EU institutions. Even the American dollarocracy is looking to Europe for a new model of governance.

‘We are Europe … at last!’

by David Quin, Ireland

Why gender balance is good – especially in times of crisis

The German parliament, after much debate, has decided not to impose gender quotas in business. What is the situation of women in the EU labour market? What obstacles do they face? Are quotas in business a solution?

by Agata de Latour 

Interview with Isabella Lenarduzzi, Founder and Director of Jump, a company dedicated to empowering women in the workplace

Agata de Latour: What are the obstacles to empowering women in the workplace and especially in business?

Isabella Lenarduzzi: Women at work face the ‘glass ceiling’, but also the ‘sticky floor’. We now make up almost 60% of new graduates. But at the top level, only 2% of women are chief executive officers (CEOs). At the same time, these role models didn’t exist at all 20 years ago – so this is a great step forward.

Do you think quotas are a good method to empower women?

At present quotas in business deal only with boards, which are not at the executive level and don’t have much influence on day-to-day management. But of course quotas are symbolically important. Women can thus be inspired to rise higher.

Why did the German parliament, which includes some women, refuse quotas?

Many women in decision-making positions have adapted to male culture, and are not aware of the daily difficulties that most women face.

Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding proposed last year 40% female representation on boards in big European companies. What other methods can be used to achieve gender balance?

All the discussions around quotas really help to raise awareness. Having binding regulations on quotas, on equal salaries, on ensuring women at the top of administration in public companies is very important as it serves as an example to the private sector.

What are the benefits of gender diversity?

Lots of research shows that diversity means better management and performance. Having equal male/female participation in the economy raises GDP by more than 20%. In times of economic crisis, we should consider equality more – it can really enhance growth.

More info: www.jump.eu.com and www.catalyst.org

Information overload, conflicting messages and ‘free’ news

Back in the year 1255 the Dominican Vincent of Beauvais complained about “the multitude of books, the shortness of time and the slipperiness of memory”. If he suffered from information overload, what about the poor EU citizen in 2013 – faced with the vast volumes of information generated by the EU?

by Bram Souffreau, Belgium

Europa.eu, the website of the European institutions, is one of the biggest collections of information on the Internet. Great, in principle. But abundance of information can be just as problematic as lack of information.

“The EU website struggles with information overload,” says Marco Incerti of the CEPS think-tank. “But all that information is necessary. Europe has many policy areas, languages and countries, and some visitors to the website, like journalists or researchers, want very detailed information.”

Mina Andreeva, spokesperson for Commissioner Viviane Reding, insists that Europa.eu has recently been redesigned to be more usable and that the amount of information has been cut down. “We design every subsite with a targeted approach. We try to keep in mind who the visitor will be and what they want.”

Marco Incerti points to the important responsibility of intermediaries, such as the media, trade unions and citizen organisations. “The website has indeed room for improvement, but journalists, activists and other public representatives should also dig into the site and channel the information to the general public.” 

Conflicting messages

A further problem is that, while European institutions try to communicate with one voice, the messages are not always that coherent. “Every institution has a different role,” says Incerti. “The Parliament is a place for debate and its members are thus more critical. The Commission, on the other hand, has to brief people on the decisions. That’s more technical, drier stuff.”

Parliament and Commission have their frictions. But the most capricious are the Council and the member states. Mina Andreeva regrets that government representatives sometimes use ‘Brussels’ in a blame game, and that they change their position once they are back in their home country.

News ‘on a plate’

To cope with the perceived communications deficit, since 2011 the European Commission has been ‘talking to citizens’ during the Citizens’ Dialogues in different cities. Europeans with questions can ask their question at one of the 500 local Europe Direct Contact Centres or via the Europe Direct Hotline.

Besides the website, the institutions are open to enquiries from the media. They provide lots of video footage. Overall, the Union provides the media with an enormous amount of hassle-free news. Meanwhile, investigative journalism is provided with limited resources. The risk, therefore, is that the media fail to fulfill their critical role of investigating and assessing what is really going on. 

Public spaces: civic participation charter would be a win-win

Since regional authorities are spending EU money to improve public infrastructure, they should have to consult the public …

by Belin Mollov, Bulgaria & Tim Verbist, Belgium

The EU redistributes billions of euros to its regions. Regional authorities can spend a huge proportion of such amounts on investment in public infrastructure, with almost no rules attached. I AM EUROPE proposes that the EU impose a civic participation charter on the regions when they apply for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) or European Social Fund (ESF) money in the upcoming programming period 2014–2020.

Public spaces include streets, squares, parks, sports and recreation areas, underground spaces such as subways, etc. When designing such spaces, it’s important to carry out a study of the environment, including social, historical, cultural and emotional factors. Public space is the “gateway to the soul of the city” (Sharon Zukin), because the city is a living organism, connecting people with their everyday needs and dreams. This is why it is of utmost importance to include citizens in this process, who are experts on their living environment.

The EU invests a lot of money in public spaces all over Europe. One of the largest funds in the EU budget is the Structural Fund, intended to narrow the development disparities among regions and member states, with a budget of €308.041 billion in the period 2007–2013. There are two main sub-funds: the ERDF and the ESF.

Public funds should mean public involvement

The two funds enable inner-city revitalisation projects, urban renewal, small industrial areas in cities, rural development projects, and so on – without any rule or recommendation on civic participation.  However, since regional decision-makers are using public funds for developing and implementing projects, these should meet the real needs and desires of citizens. Citizens should be engaged in the process from the beginning, at an early stage of the planning process. Providing clear accountability and efficiency in the use of public funds is proven to have a positive impact on the performances of civil activity.

I AM EUROPE proposes that the EU insist that regional authorities ensure, both legally and organisationally, citizen participation in early decision-making on designing, financing, constructing and rehabilitating public spaces. The EU regulations for implementing the Cohesion Policy should also ensure close monitoring of the targeted and efficient use of public funds in the interest of citizens.

Imposing a civic participation charter on the regions would create a win-win situation for the EU and its citizens: the EU would be assured that citizens were aware of its impact on their lives; it would be a concrete instrument for bridging the gap with citizens, and citizens in their turn would feel empowered by Europe because they could join the debate, share their ideas and get heard.

Park SpoorNoord – an example of good practice, where EU money was invested and citizens were strongly involved in the project – is now a favourite hotspot for Antwerp citizens

The E-You Map

by Kita Boncheva

How I eventually achieved a tête-à-tête with Herman …

An ‘on the road’ diary of Koen Wynants’ quest to get an interview with the President of the European Council, in April/May 2013

by Koen Wynants, Belgium 

Koen writes: For all those who are anxious to plan a similar trip themselves, I can guarantee that my road-trip diary will be invaluable. It includes travel information, very precise details of the distance travelled in the various phases, and a great selection of podcasts (or appropriate mood music). For added enjoyment, I have provided some wonderful photos taken on my (crappy) digital camera.

 

Stop 1: My target: the President himself

Distance: unknown. Podcast: ‘Road to Nowhere’, Talking Heads

During 2013, European Year of Citizens (dedicated to the rights that come with EU citizenship), the EU will encourage dialogue between all levels of government, civil society and the business world. How deep is the ocean? How far is the moon? The President of the European Council, Mr Herman Van Rompuy, is clearly the ideal destination for my spring quest. So, it’s time to get on the road.

 

Stop 2: Planning my journey

Distance: How far is the moon? Podcast: ‘I Did It My Way’, Frank Sinatra

As a mere European citizen, my travelling budget is somewhat tight. Careful choice of modes of transportation and travelling destinations is essential. I could initiate a European Citizens’ Initiative as a way of getting closer to the President. I’d only have to collect 1m million signatures from at least seven member states. A cinch! On the other hand, maybe I’ll use the methodologies I’m familiar with: blogging, Twitter, Facebook and direct political lobbying – combined with the ingenious method of reducing the space between myself and Mr Van Rompuy to a matter of a couple of inches.

Stop 3: Writing my manifesto (blog )

Distance: moderate.  Podcast: ‘Message in a Bottle’, The Police

In my hometown, the city of Antwerp (Belgium), I’m experimenting with online activism. Blogging is an easy way to share ideas and spread messages. So I did. I wrote a letter, titled ‘We the people should become the engine of a new participatory European democracy’, to the President, accompanied

by an invitation to have a personal chat. It was in manifesto style; an impressive statement of my feelings about European democracy and the meaning of citizen participation. I got a few comments (two? three?

four? – can’t recall) and even messages, but not from the President. Nor did he accept my invitation.

Stop 4: Writing my manifesto (blog) 

Distance: moderate. Podcast: ‘Message in a Bottle’, The Police

In my hometown, the city of Antwerp (Belgium), I’m experimenting with online activism. Blogging is an easy way to share ideas and spread messages. So I did. I wrote a letter, titled ‘We the people should become the engine of a new participatory European democracy’, to the President, accompanied by an invitation to have a personal chat. It was in manifesto style; an impressive statement of my feelings about European democracy and the meaning of citizen participation. I got a few comments (two? three? four? – can’t recall) and even messages, but not from the President. Nor did he accept my invitation.

Stop 5: Twittering & facebooking 

Distance: easy. Podcast: ‘Bird on the Wire’, Leonard Cohen

So, my blog post having failed, it was time for option two. I twittered my ‘personal chat’ invitation to Herman and also put the invitation on his personal Facebook page. To add irresistible pressure, I also tweeted the invitation to the European Movement, an international network of organisations mobilising citizens and lobbying for a democratic, federal, enlarged union. Result? Silence?

Stop 6: Political lobbying 

Distance: far. Podcast: ‘Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)’, Janis Joplin

Although I’d already put huge efforts into my campaign, I decided to raise the challenge even further. I headed for the mountains. And started to climb political hills. So to speak. As a local activist, I’ve good contacts with local representatives of the political party of the President (CD&V, member of the European People’s Party). I asked if they could arrange a meeting. I also contacted a friend who works for a Brussels minister for the same party. They immediately made it clear that it was inappropriate, indeed impossible for the President to meet me – to have a little chat with a fellow citizen.

Stop 7: Stalking 

Distance: moderate. Podcast: ‘Off the Road’, Neil Young

Frustrated at the failure so far of my powerful tactics, I decided to head off-road. I searched for events where the President would be present. Then I just would just have to walk up to him and start our little chat. On Saturday, 11^th May 2013, Herman’s political party was holding a conference in Brussels, on the topic ‘More or less Europe’ (me, I’m thinking of another kind of Europe, but anyway …). One of the questions posed was ‘How democratic is Europe?’ I decided that my presence at the conference, as an ordinary citizen, would not be inappropriate.

Stop 8: The momentous meeting 

Distance: Hard. Podcast: ‘You Can't Always Get What You Want’, Rolling Stones

It was utterly fascinating to hear the politicians talk about the Importance of ‘a Democratic Europe’, how the European Parliament can Bridge the Gap between Politicians and Citizens, and the Vital Importance of … as I almost fell asleep, I dreamt of standing up in the middle of the conference and screaming: ‘Hey everybody, I’m a European citizen, let’s close the gap – right now!’ Thanks to superb logistical planning (some say coincidence), I was sitting right behind Herman. But the prospect of closing those last crucial centimetres made me nervous. However, as the conference ended, I bravely strode straight up to Herman and asked: “Euh, Mister President, is it possible to take a picture of both of us? I’m involved in one of those European citizen participation projects. And I’m writing some kind of article for a newspaper.” Given my magnificent gambit, Herman had no option but to respond: “Eh, yes, that’s fine!” And that, folks, was the remarkable chat I enjoyed with the President of the European Council.

Stop 9: Retreating home 

Distance: very easy. Podcast: ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ ’, Bob Dylan

Back home, I immediately put on one of my Bob Dylan favourites: ‘The times …’ Finally, I understood Dylan’s interpretation of the song: “It’s not a statement ... it's a feeling.” Quite so. Citizen participation isn’t about the destination, it’s about travelling. It isn’t about changin’ things, it’s about being the change. If politicians want to travel with me, good for them!

·         Recommendation for further reading: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values’ by Robert M Pirsig

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Citizen travel in Europe: the dangers and irritations

Europe is a remarkably safe continent, considering the big disparities in wealth, but citizen activism is not unknown, so take care – especially when discussing financial crises, social affairs and democracy. When travelling via blog, Twitter or Facebook, for protection choose a carriage containing other people. It’s also best to avoid politicians at night; ordinary citizens are usually safer.

As well as licensed European forums like Citizens Initiative, unlicensed ones (like Avaaz) operate in several countries. These are worth visiting unless you know what you’re doing. Irritations concerning the formal initiatives include lack of response, un- and dis-transparency, driving around in circles, then charging an enormous fare. Dangers include having to understand EU legislation, discrimination against minorities, obese cucumbers. So use a blog or phone a reputable lobby (http://www.activecitizenship.net/) and get an up-front quote for the ride. Europe has websites and phone lines to help you find licensed traveling modes of transportation like http://navigatingtheeu.wordpress.com/.

In the capital, Brussels, citizens are rare, money and important documents are best kept out of sight. Pickpockets operate in some areas, like The City (London), so make sure your stuff is secure there too.