Yes to the Constitution, But with Democracy As Well

Dear Eurocitizens,

Following the thousands of responses received after consultation with 60,000 organizations within European civil society, Newropeans, the first trans-European citizen movement in existence throughout the territory of the European Union, has decided to launch a campaign entitled Yes-But : « Yes to the Constitution, But with Democracy As Well »

In view of the fact that a growing number of European citizens believe that once the Constitution is adopted, it will be time to make the democratization of the EU the political priority of the coming years, Newropeans perceives itself as an instrument at their service, utilizing the extraordinary debate surrounding the plan for a European Constitution to serve this future democratization.

So, if the Constitution can be understood as an open door leading to a common European future, then it is time that it should be the 500 million citizens of the EU and no longer several thousand bureaucrats, lobbyists and national politicians that determine future priorities. The Yes-But campaign will make it possible to enable hundreds of thousands of European citizens and representatives of European civil society to participate in the formulation and the implementation of this democratization in which we see inscribed the process of adoption of the Constitution, particularly regarding the organization of referenda.

The Yes-But campaign hinges on three basic elements :

Citizen actions strengthening the propositions of democratization and showing the intent of a majority of European citizens no longer to be passive subjects in the construction of Europe, but rather to be active Eurocitizens in a vast common democracy.
Short term propositions designed to be put into action immediately and which require nothing more than the will of current decision-makers : heads of state and of government, ministers, European deputies and commissioners. It is up to them to demonstrate their commitment to this democratization.
15 propositions for the medium and long term, stemming from the Newropeans Democracy Marathon and the direct consultation of 10,000 European citizens in 25 countries, designed to supplement current debates and to conceptualize the future institutions of a democratized EU, in which the vital element will be its 500 million citizens and which should emerge within 5 to 10 years from the present.

The Yes-But campagn rests fundamentally on two types of action :

Series of conferences throughout the whole of the EU, involving participants from other European countries, and a network of « Yes-But » websites which will make it possible to publicize the propositions for democratization in the short, medium, and long term.
Actions of Eurocitizens, supported by the network of websites and the local or sector-based Newropean Networks, as well as by the partner organizations of Yes-But.

The most important of the Eurocitizen actions launched by Yes-But is the petition : « Let us democratize the EU ! » requiring the European leaders to put immediately into operation four essential steps to the democratization of the EU once the Constitution has been adopted :

A. Approval by trans-European referendum of any future amendment to the European Constitution.

B. Obligatory submission to a trans-European referendum for any future enlargement of the European Union (subsequent to the imminent enlargement to include Rumania, Bulgaria, and Croatia)

C. Suppression of the right to veto of the European Commission as regards the « citizen petitions » anticipated in the current plan for the European Constitution.

D. Immediate suppression of judiciary immunities granted to the government officials of the common institutions in order to assure the equality of all European citizens before the law.

This petition, symbolic of the Yes-But campaign, establishes the principles of a democratized EU where the citizens exercise a right of initiative, determine the limits of their communality and assure the equality of all before the law. For Newropeans, it embodies the next stage in the European plan which should emerge after the adoption of the draft of the Constitution : it is no longer a question of constructing Europe, it is now a question of governing it.

Your action, your support is essential to succeed in carrying democracy to frontiers new in size (500 million citizens) and in diversity (almost 30 different countries, languages and cultures) that nevertheless represent the European Union. We ourselves, Europeans, just as all men and women throughout the rest of the world who seek to unify their continent, are much in need of such a demonstration of support. And, at the same time, it will strengthen the conviction of all those who hope to meet the challenges of the 21st century with peace, with democracy, and with prosperity.

We hope, therefore, that you will join us in this Yes-But campaign in large numbers.. In order to participate, simply contact Newropeans and let us know if you would like to

organize a Yes-But conference in your local area
contribute to organizing a « Democratize the EU » petition in your local area or professional sector.

Cordially,

Newropeans

Translated by Emily Robin Jackson