Civil Society Forum

Participatory democracy in Europe
towards the seventh legislature of the European Parliament

20-21 February 2009
Istituto degli Innocenti, Florence, Italy

The situation emerging regarding the civil society in Europe is by now recognised as a potent factor of integration from below and, at the same time, of democratic legitimisation of the European Community system.

The European Union is based on its citizens and hence should convey power to them through the creation of a culture of participatory democracy and good governance at all levels. The efforts of the EU are being increasingly geared towards this aim by their renewed activity in opening up the construction of an active European citizenship.

The European Commission is increasingly aware that the deep changes that have taken place within the European67 Union in relation to the multiple processes of globalisation necessitate the opening up of new channels of participation by the people in EU processes of political decision-making; it has thus identified five main functions to be attributed to the organisations of civil society.
The first, which is obviously of high political relevance, is that of contributing to the growth of participatory democracy: Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) are recognised as having the capability to act as an intermediary between the institutions of the EU and its citizens, of providing information to supranational institutions on the tendencies of public opinion, and of supplying the feed-back between governors and governed as to the effects of European Union policies, partly through some forms of monitoring.

The second function is to represent the interests of those who are most vulnerable, at the level of the European institutions.
The third function attributed to the NGOs is to contribute to the definition of EU policies, by bringing to bear their specific knowledge and competence and by making use of their direct links with the social situations at local, regional, national and European levels.
The fourth function is to contribute to the management, checking and evaluation of the projects funded by the EU, concerning both member nations and other countries regarding social emargination and discrimination, the protection of the environment, the safeguarding of human rights, humanitarian aid and help towards development.
The fifth function, which is of obvious strategic importance, is that of contributing to the development of the European integration process.

At the same time, the European institutions have not failed to notice the situation of crisis in which representative democracy finds itself within the politically developed political systems of its member states themselves and, even more evidently, in the supranational system of the European Union. A significant fact for all concerned is the increasingly low attendance by citizens at both national and European elections. Hence the commitment of the European institutions to build a Europe that can be a reference for its citizens, through improvement in the procedures of participation in civil society and territorial autonomy in carrying out the functions of EU governance, but also through the setting up of ever more efficacious processes of communication.

In this sense, the Lisbon Treaty contains a series of elements that would render Europe more democratic and more transparent, strengthening the role of the European Parliament and the national parliaments and offering citizens greater possibilities to air their views thanks to the so-called citizens’ initiative, in which a group of at least a million citizens from a certain number of member States can invite the Commission to present new proposals.

The Forum will take place in Florence on 20th and 21st February, and is entitled "participatory democracy in Europe, the future of the EU and involvement of the civil society"; it was planned and arranged by the representative body of the European Commission in Italy and by the Region of Tuscany, and was organised with the collaboration of the Centro Nazionale per il Volontariato ; it is intended as a meeting point between institutional figures, representatives of NGOs and the civil society, with the aim of reflection on themes such as participatory democracy, social inclusion and the future of active European citizenship, which will be at the centre of the discussions on the programme.

The choice of venue for the Forum is not a chance one: Tuscany is a region where the organisations of civil society have been deeply rooted for some time and where there are numerous widespread forms of integration and collaboration between the latter organisations and the institutions. A phenomenon with a long secular tradition and which is characterised by a heterogeneity of aims and scope among the various organisations: voluntary organisations, associations of social promotion and social co-operatives, which contribute towards the guaranteeing of a network of solidarity and of social inclusion, but which also support the regional economy, enabling on a daily basis the compatibility of social solidarity with economic sustainability.

Moreover, this is also a territory in which both the Region and the organisations of civil society have strong links with Europe (it was the Centro Nazionale per il Volontariato that, exactly 20 years ago, set up in Lucca the first European network of voluntary workers, the CEV.)

This wealth and potentiality are considered as being central to the overall strategy of the Tuscan regional government, starting from the Statute, which specifies clearly the references to the subject of participation of the social organisations in the enactment of rights, going as far as to indicate a body purposely set up to represent social subsidiarity (the Permanent Conference of social autonomies, instituted by Regional Law 20/2007). Another recent testimony to this process is the law on participation (Regional Law 69/2007), which aims to encourage, promote and publicise participatory processes and institutes at a local level, ensuring an active and constant presence of the citizen at the moment of choice and verification of policies.

But it is above all the regional welfare system that is distinguished for its substantial and concrete contribution to the organisations of civil society, in a climate of willingness to propose innovative solutions and experiments and to encourage experiences of institutional and social subsidiarity. In Tuscany, especially from the mid-1990s, a system of mixed welfare has prevailed, which has witnessed public intervention increasingly supported by the contribution of private social organisations, in terms of integrated programming, shared planning, participation in the management of services and the evaluation of interventions, also trying out innovative solutions such as the Società della salute (Health Society).
.
These policies of collaboration of civil society are witness, today even more than in the past, to the commitment to develop a network of relations with Europe, which is considered as the indisputable frame of reference for the development of the regional societies. Within this context are placed several initiatives promoted in the last few years by the Assessorato alle politiche sociali (the Council for Social Policies): in particular, the official visit to Brussels by a delegation of Tuscan non-profit organisations, accompanied by the Councillor and by other representatives of the institutions, as well as some public initiatives. These are actions that are aimed at ensuring continued collaboration with the European institutions and with the European social organisations, with training initiatives and information-sharing, in the awareness of sharing the same values and with the willingness to contribute positively to the effective construction and consolidation of a Europe of equal opportunities for all.