Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation

Chalenging Citizens

Home Programmes Challenging Citizens Citizens Controversies
Citizen's Controversies PDF Print
Contact person: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Citizen's Controversies series of lunchtime debates seek to address one of Europe’s most vital tasks: rekindling the citizen’s interest in EU matters. Much has been said about the ‘democratic deficit’, which is now felt to seriously hamper EU progress.  This deficit, however, does not stem from undemocratic EU institutions, but from a lack of citizen participation in EU democratic life. Less an institutional deficit, therefore, than a citizenship deficit. In the run-up to the 2009 European Parliamentary elections, the Citizen's Controversies strive to encourage citizens’ ownership of the pan-European political debate by securing fair and contrasting views on fundamental EU issues. Each debate confronts the ideas of two speakers on a given topic to point out options and trade-offs and highlight the political stakes present in each necessary compromise. The objective, in sum, is to enhance the perception of a ‘European common good’, which is more than the sum of national interests.

Related Events and Reports:

What Transition towards a Low Carbon and Fair Society? 28 January 2009

With MEP Claude Turmes, Vice-Chairman of the Group of the Greens/ European Free Alliance, and Philippe de Buck, Director General of Business Europe. 


The Fiscal Stimulus: Why So Much from the US and China and So Little from the EU? 13 January 2009

With Prof. Paul De Grauwe, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Dr Feng San, Economic Officer at the Chinese Mission to the EU and Mr Andrew Small, Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States.


What EU Response after the Financial Crisis?  12 November 2008

With Nicolas Véron, Research Fellow and Chief Development Officer of Bruegel, and Francis Wurtz, MEP, Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left.

 Report


Social Europe: back or forth? 1 October 2008

With Emmanuel Julien, Deputy Director of the MEDEF's Direction of Labour Relations, to the ones of Philippe Pochet, General Director of ETUI-REHS.

 Report


Taking the Irish No for a Question 15 September 2008

With Benoît Hamon, Member of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, and Iñigo Méndez de Vigo, Member of the European Parliament's Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats.

 Report

 

Copyright

© 2008 Madariaga College of Europe Foundation. All rights reserved.

Address

Rue Royale 87.B - 1000 Brussels.
Belgium

Contact us

Tel: +32 2 209 62 10
Fax:
+32 2 209 62 11
E-Mail: info@madariaga.org

Credits

artcreative

W3C: XHTML | CSS | WAI-AA