The Convention on the future of Europe meets in plenary this week for the first time since its launch at the end of February. Initial press excitement has dampened down, but there is an ever-increasing amount of information becoming available for those who are interested. Unfortunately, on the Convention’s own website (http://european-convention.eu.int), many documents are still missing and many more are available in only one or two of the EU’s languages. This has to change if the Convention’s ambition of reaching out to the citizens is to be met.

Several meetings of the Presidium have already been held to hammer out proposals for working methods and on the question of how to involve civil society. Candidate countries are demanding a representative on the Presidium, access to office and support facilities when the Convention is in session, and assistance with translation of documents and the Convention’s proceedings into their own languages. The solutions found to these issues will be keenly watched for signs of the Convention’s commitment genuinely to involve these countries in its work.

A further point under discussion in the Convention is the role of civil society, particularly the young people of Europe. The Youth Contact Group has had initial consultations with the Convention Secretariat, and will be meeting next week with Vice President Dehaene, responsible for relations with civil society, to discuss the way forward.

The working methods and relationships with civil society established in these next weeks will be crucial in determining the successful functioning of the Convention over the following months. So far, the establishment of the Convention has generated a great deal of excitement, attention, and good will. It is now up to the members to make sure that they live up to these expectations.
Today’s third issue of the Convention Bulletin focuses on the topic of “Europe and the nation state” and the state of the debate in France. It includes an interview with Alain Lamassoure MEP, member of the Convention, as well as links to other sites and press reports on the progress of the Convention so far.
The following issue will concentrate on the issue of Enlargement. If you wish to contribute, please feel free to send a mail to: contributions@constitutional-convention.net.
Regards,

Your Editorial Team
JEF Europe