Democratic Europe Now!
Up-Date about Photo Call and Press Briefing

Date: Thursday, 20 February 2014

NOTE: The time and location of the press briefing has changed. Instead of 1:30pm, the press briefing will now take place at 11:00am in room A5G2 of the Altiero Spinelli building of the European Parliament.

Press Briefing: 11 am, Room A5G2, Altiero Spinelli building of the European Parliament, Bruxelles, Belgium (Station Bruxelles-Luxembourg‎).  

Photo call: 1:00 pm, outside the main (Place de Luxembourg) entrance of the Altiero Spinelli building of the European Parliament.

What: At 11:00 am Democracy International will officially launch an alliance of organisations from all over Europe under the banner ‘Democratic Europe Now’. Together the group is conducting a europe-wide campaign for a more democratic EU and a new European Convention.

The briefing will include contributions from the following politicians and commentators:

• Gerald Hafner, MEP (Greens) and President of Democracy International;
• Jo Leinen, MEP (S&D), President of the European Movement International (EMI);
• Andrew Duff, MEP (ALDE), Spinelli Group;
• Othmar Karas MEP (EPP), Vice President of the European Parliament;
• Penka Angelova, President of the Elias Canetti Society, Bulgaria; and
• Prof Dr Jürgen Meyer (SPD Germany), member of the 2002 Convention of the Future of Europe.

The speakers will give an outline of the campaign, which calls for an EU Convention under Article 48 of the Lisbon Treaty, so that proposals for democratic and other reform can be debated in an open forum. The speakers will explain that in order to be a legitimate process, and to avoid the problems of the 2002 Convention on the Future of Europe, the Convention must be democratic, participatory and transparent, and it must allow citizens the right to vote on the outcome.

By coming together to launch the Democratic Europe Now campaign, the speakers demonstrate that there is support across the political spectrum for a more democratic EU. The speakers will show that democratic development in the EU has not kept pace with the Union’s growing powers and influence, and they will argue that right now - in the wake of the crisis, as we approach major reforms of arrangements for fiscal and banking policy, and in the lead-up to the election of the next European Parliament in May 2014 - it is essential that we begin work on closing the gap between the citizens and the institutions of the EU.

At 1.00 pm Democratic Europe Now will conduct a photo-event in front of the EU Parliament in Brussels. By creating an impressive visual spectacle and giving passersby the VIP treatment, the group will offer a whimsical reminder to EU politicians that the citizens are in fact Very Important People, and that democratic reform is needed if the EU is to properly serve the interests of the citizens.

About Democratic Europe Now:
DEN is a platform for individuals and organisations that are working toward a more democratic Europe. Together, they aim to show overwhelming support for a democratic, inclusive and transparent Convention.