After being the host city of the UEF Congress in 2004, Genoa becomes again a European capital: the 3rd and 4th December 2005, more than four hundred participants, coming from various countries of the EU, and representing about a hundred of organisations, local movements and municipalities, have given life to the first Convention of the European citizens, with the objective to relaunch the constituent process after the French and Dutch NOs in the referendum on the European Constitution. The initiative, the first of its kind in Europe, has tried to fill up the total vacuum of the so-called "reflection period" decided by the national Governments. The Convention, promoted by the UEF, the Italian MFE, the JEF, and the Federalist Intergroups for the European Constitution in the Italian and European Parliament, is the first step of a program for mobilising the European citizens to relaunch the constituent process from the bottom up. The aim of the Convention is to create a permanent dialogue on the future of Europe among the citizens of the entire continent and the institutions that represent them, starting from the European Parliament and the national Parliaments.
The working sessions of the forum have been subdivided in five parts. The opening session has been introduced by the Secretary of the Federalist Intergroup for the European Constitution in the European Parliament, Bruno Boissiére, and chaired by the President of the UEF, Mercedes Bresso, with the contribution of twenty speakers of different national organizations, international networks and representatives of local municipalities. In the afternoon session, three thematic working groups have addressed the main arguments of today's crisis of the political integration process: Europe's responsibilities in the world, the economic-social model for globalization and a sustainable development, an active citizenship and a participative democracy.
In the Sunday morning's final session, the Convention has adopted a Manifesto, with some concrete proposals for an effective relaunch of the European Constitution. Guido Montani, President of the MFE, presented the Manifesto to the Italian and European MPs of different political groups, that participated in the Convention, in order for them to become the spokesmen in their respective assemblies.
The great participation to the Convention's working sessions has a clear political meaning: the European citizens want to participate in the constituent process, asserting their will to proceed to the federal integration of the European continent, despite the block opposed by the national States governments. Another world is possible. Another Europe is possible. The Convention of the European citizens will not disband until its aims will be fulfilled. Genoa is, in fact, the first of its kind in the Old Continent: in 2006, more meetings will take place in Wien in spring and in Paris in autumn. More information on the programme and the contributions can be retrieved from http://www.citizensconvention.net.