Dear Members of the Organised Civil Society,

As you may be aware, the 24-25 June 2002 session of the European Convention will be devoted to civil society. The plenary session will take place in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in order to allow European NGOs to follow the discussion from within the chamber (with a maximum of 2 representatives per NGO).

The Plenary Session will be structured in the following way:
- Introduction by Vice-President Dehaene reporting on the Forum, and his contacts with civil society;
- reports by the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the Social partners (as observers of the Convention);
- Reports from representatives of civil society;
- Reports on the national debates (by Members of the Convention).

In order to ensure a structured input from civil society, the Convention’s Secretariat proposed the creation of 7 sectoral Contact Groups, to meet ahead of the Convention’s hearing and designate rapporteurs to the Convention. The Citizens’ Assembly presented a note during the 27 May 2002 meeting at the European Social and Economic Committee of the trans-European civil society networks, proposing the creation of an eigth group on European Democracy, which was accepted. Below are the names and dates of the 8 Contact Groups meetings:

*Regions and Local Authorities (10 June 2002);
*Culture (12 June 2002);
*Academia and Think Tanks (13 June 2002);
*Social Sector (13 June 2002);
*European Democracy (14 June 2002);
*Human Rights (17 June 2002);
*Environment (17 June 2002);
*Development (18 June 2002).

Please note that the consultation of civil society was divided into sectoral contact groups in order to ensure the representation of all sectors of civil society. The Convention does not expect to be presented with sectoral concerns, but rather to see transversal questions pertaining to the mandate of the Convention, such as the mission and competence of the European Union, be answered. The Contact Groups meetings and the Convention’s hearings is therefore not meant for the presentation of any organisation’s agenda.

If you wish to represent your organisation at those meetings, you need to register directly on the Convention’s web-site: http://european-convention.eu.int before June 4.

In parallel to the 24-25 June 2002 hearings, the Citizens Assembly’s proposal to organise of a two-day workshop within the premises of the European Parliament, composed of 4 Working Groups covering horizontal themes rather than sectoral ones, has been received positively by the Convention’s Secretariat. Those groups will be:

*Identity and European Citizenship;
*The European Union in a Globalised World;
*European Democracy and Subsidiarity;
*Social Cohesion and Sustainable Development.

The European Parliament will provide the four rooms necessary for the Working Groups to take place. Moreover, if the open space is made available, 8 thematic stands, in line with the 8 themes outlined by the European Convention, will be organised.

The next co-ordination meeting for the organisation of the Workshop and the stands will take place on 4 June 2002 at 15h00, on the premises of the Permanent Forum of Civil Society (Square de Meeûs 25, B-1050 Brussels). Please confirm your attendance at the following address: citizensassembly@europe.com.

With kind regards,

Benjamin Desurmont
on behalf of Citizens' Assembly 2004