Today the EESC’s Liaison Group with European civil society organisations met, under the joint chairmanship of President Staffan Nilsson and Jean-Marc Roirant, President of the European Civil Forum. The EESC is composed of representatives of national civil society organisations. The Liaison Group is a conscious effort to embrace the European dimension of civil society organisations by providing a joint chamber in which topics of mutual concern may be discussed. Revitalising work in the Liaison Group is one of a series of priorities in Staffan Nilsson’s work programme and today’s meeting was a sort of re-launch. High on the agenda was the European Citizens’ Initiative. The implementing legislation is on its way. Afterwards, how will civil society organisations behave towards it? Will they seek to capture it, to use it as a vehicle for their aims, to support initiatives with which they sympathise? So long flagged up as a democratic innovation of the Lisbon Treaty, it will not be long now before this new kid on the block makes its entry.
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