Democratizing Europe: On the quest for a common public space

Résumé du document

We all remember the rebuff of the constitution from France and the Nederland in spring 2005 and the further comments on the event. Many bet on an end of Europe. This refusal called into question Europe that was upset that stopped for a while. Of course, although this reject was not a good point for Europe, regarding the numerous debates that occurred, we observe that euro-citizens wished to appropriate the European issues. Indeed, the vote participation was high (69.37% in France and 64,8% in the Nederland). Though the people felt estranged from the micro bubble from Brussels, Europeans wanted to get involved in constructing Europe. They just wanted to be heard and to make Europe change. The people were on the quest of a public place.

Extraits

[...] Lake of identity: Habermas said that for a real democracy through borders, “Swedish must have a feeling of solidarity with Portuguese”. He claims a unique European identity, like a unique body. In the real world, it is not true. Europe now gathers 27 member states that represent a real diversity of people and also of religion, political systems, and histories. So it is difficult to identify into one identity that crosses all these populations. For example, only half of the French feel French first and then European. Still a third feels only French. And that changes between the countries. [...]

[...] Many European projects already exist but I think that there is a problem of communication. Indeed international non-governmental organisations are recognised at the European council, which helps financing concrete projects everywhere in Europe. But the problem is that only a few know that. The ministry of foreign affairs has created a page on its website presenting what have changed in the everyday life of French citizens thanks to Europe. This kind of information has to be extended. Europe started to create beneficial programmes to lead to a public space and to make it public: The programme active European citizenship aims at establishing a basic instrument for awarding grants to promote active European citizenship over a three-year period (2004-2006). [...]

[...] They feel estranged from this political sphere. A study in September 06 shows that a great majority consider that the national level has more abilities to change things effectively and that they are more likely to talk to national authorities to deal with a European problem. The most obvious fact that proves that Europe suffers from a lake of legitimacy is the amazing high level of abstention rate. For the European elections in 2004, it reached 57,5% in France, which is the highest score in the whole 5th republic. [...]

[...] To conclude, Europe suffers from a lake of democratic legitimacy for many reasons, the first because it is misunderstood. That led to a europesceptical situation we live today. However, European citizens just wait for a European revival. Its salvation would be to create a common public space by different ways I presented and also to advertise itself. [...]

[...] The people were on the quest of a public place. In Public space, archaeology of publicity as a constitutive dimension of the bourgeois society, Habermas defines the modern public space a sphere where political debates are free are where discussion are various. Habermas' public space is also composed of the publicity that is needed to control the power and to make public opinion clearly visible. This is the lake of Europe because it is difficult to create such a public sphere with 27 member states and lead to a lake of democracy. [...]