Citizens for Europe are civil society actors supporting each other to create a participatory and democratic Europe

Reforming the European Economic and Social Committee: How to Give Civil Society a Louder Voice

First name(s) and family name(s) of the author(s) : From an idea of 16 Executive master students in Communication and European Affairs at the IHECS-Brussels (Institute for Higher Studies in Social Communication), www.ihecs.be

Date of the proposal : 2009

Abstract of the proposal

The students advocate concrete change in the composition of the current Group III (various interests) of the EESC to give a louder voice to civil society (NGOs, associations, notfor- profits). The innovation will be that members of Group III, renamed the «Organised Civil Society Unit», will in future be European representatives and no longer national delegates, as is the current status of EESC counsellors. Increased consideration of the views of civil society within the mechanisms of European decision-making is a necessary condition for democracy.

Topics the proposal focuses on

gouvernance;DÉMOCRATIE REPRÉSENTATIVE;démocratie participative;société civile

Theme : About the way the european institutions, the decision making processes and the budget work

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