Democracy Documents of Europe's Founding Fathers
Did the Conference on the Future of Europe ever see them?
Letter sent to French Presidency and Members of European Parliament, Commission Vice President Suica, and Democracy spokesperson.
Dear Conference presidents,
I am a journalist accredited in Brussels and Editor of the Schuman Project.
On 19 April 2021 (the day after the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, founding the European Community) Vice President of the Commission Mme Dubravka Suica, Mme Zacarias of the Portuguese EU presidency and Mr Guy Verhofstadt of the EP held a press conference at the Commission launching the Conference on the Future of Europe.
I asked that the original documents on Democracy agreed and signed by the Founding Fathers be published to facilitate the debate and conference decisions on European democracy.
All three institutions agreed that they would be published for the Conference and analysed.
These included:
the first page of the Schuman Declaration which he called the exordium;
The Charter of the Community (Declaration commune) an integral part of the Treaty of Paris that describes how the institutions should function and rights of citizens;
Schuman's exposition on the functioning of the European Community, its 5 institutions, given at the Council of Europe 10 August 1950. (This is reprinted in English and French in my book, Schuman or Monnet? the real Architect of Europe, pp 95-115.)
Schuman described the five institutions as incorporating three levels of democratic integration: national, associative and individual.
The Council of Ministers represents the national Member States who should lead a national debate on issues and about common European measures needed.
The Consultative Committee a tripartite body of elected representatives of organised civil society, specifically of all relevant European associations of enterprises, workers unions and consumers.
A directly elected European Parliament (one person, one vote) that represents individual interests and concerns.
A totally independent arbiter (High Authority or Commission) that received the opinions of the above institutions and created after debate a fair and just regulation etc to satisfy the needs of the present and future. Members are to be chosen for their proven impartiality.
A Court that received appeals of individuals, institutions and associations about unfair treatment and rectified it.
These five institutions cover all aspects of interest groups in legislation, which was then published in the Official Journal.
Following the conference discussion on European Democracy today, 8 April 2022, I would ask you to let me know during all the conference work on Democracy for the Future, if these documents were published and discussed.
The reason I ask is that I have written a number of times to the Commission to publish them on their website. They have not done so.
Originally I wrote directly to President Ursula von der Leyen on 9 April 2021. Then I sent further requests. I received an unsatisfactory explanation for non-publication that the European Ombudsman also thought was inadequate. Further correspondence has failed to explain why the documents have not been published.
I would greatly appreciate your reply to this question: have you received these documents and if not, why has the conference not had them?
With many thanks,
Yours sincerely,
David Price
Editor,