Belgium, test tube for Europe?

Tomorrow, Flemish and Wallony voters will decide about the future of their common project. In November the Heerlen group draws lessons from it, discussing, in its own grassroots way, the future of Europe. That is, if you all agree on what we propose….. DO leave your comments!!!  

 BELGIUM, A TEST TUBE FOR EUROPE - draft programme
  

For the first time we propose a central theme, to which all workshops and debates are somehow related. Belgium as a test tube for Europe has been chosen because the local parties, Écolo and Groen!, like it, because an opening debate on it might draw a local audience and local (and European) press, and because it allows us, grassroot Greens, to discuss cross border issues at a very tangible level: you could see Belgium as a mini-Europe, an attempt to let three linguistic/cultural communities live together in peace. A project which is, like the European Union, subject to growing criticism.

It is still a proposal - so don’t hesitate to give your comments! Georg Schedereit, Lin Tabak, Luc Lamote, Marianne Saenen, Michael Stimson, Michel Mosser, Peter Alberts

Programme 

Friday 16

• 20.00:  Welcome, introduction : short intro of who we are, why we organise this event and what we hope to achieve with it.  
  Belgium, a test tube for Europe. Plenary debate on Belgium as a multi-lingual multi-cultural democratic structure, the problems and solutions and the lessons to be drawn for the EU. Suggested panellists: Prof. Philippe van Parijs (political scientist Louvain-la-Neuve), Prof. Kalypso Nikolaidis (Oxford University, Paris) and/or X. Pochet, Geert van Istendael…. Open to public and press. 
  Drink in town.

Saturday 17

• 09.00: Registration, opening.
  Introduction Heerlen project, explication of why we organise this meeting and what we hope to achieve with it: To bring Europe into our living room – and the living room to Europe, followed by short debate
• 09.30-11.00:  Collective versus individual identity: a re-evaluation.
  Not only in Belgium identity (ethnic, national, linguistic, religious etc. is at the core of the debate. Whereas the British are splitting up in Scots, Welsh, English and Irish, France’s new president Sarkozy has created a Ministry for national identity.
• 11.30-13.00:  Saving Europe from demagogy & populism – in search of (local) best practices. 
  Talking the language of the people is all right, telling them what they want to hear in order to get votes and power – like the Vlaams Belang does, isn’t. Not for Greens anyway, whose message is not always very popular on the short term. How do they nevertheless manage to get enough support? This is not a debate of ideas- we already have had many, but a quest for practical examples. Anyone who knows of successful ones, no matter the scale, is hereby invited to bring them forward. 

Lunch

• 14.30-16.00: Does Europe need Europeanism? Do we need a European identity to be an alternative to nationalisms? An inter-active personal approach, starting with a short video about Europeans from different countries talking about their identities in their own language as an introduction, followed by participants interviewing each other. asking each other the same question.
• 16.30-18.00: Sustainably linking Europeans- cross border public & environmentally friendly transport.
  Best practicies, challenges, threats. Like local trains being replaced by high speed big city connections, ferries between the continent and the British Isles tempting car passengers with bottom fares but charging pedestrians and cyclists the highest tariffs. Kick-off of our own European campaign?
  Dinner, night in town
  To be fitted in: ‘Brussels as you never have seen it – alternative sigtseeing tour through the unknown by-ways of a city of many nations.

Sunday 18

• 10.30-11.00: How do we bring Europe into our living room – and our living room back to Europe?
  Conclusions drawn from previous day, brainstorm aimed at three or more Heerlen proposals for the EU Green campaign 2009.
• 11.30-13.00: From Europhobia to Eurorealism.
  Towards an user-friendly EU, aimed at Heerlen propositions for a Europe of citizens.

Lunch

• 14.30-16.00: Action Plan 2009 - coordinators’ meeting open to all.