Major EU Conference aimed at bringing EU closer to the citizens during Irish Presidency – Minister Roche
Minister Dick Roche today announced a major EU Conference which will see Ministers for European Affairs from across Europe coming together to discuss the importance of engaging with the general public on European Affairs, and the manner in which this is going to be achieved.
Roche said, “It is widely recognized that one of the greatest challenges facing European leaders today is the sense of apathy and disconnection that many fellow citizens feel towards the European Union.
With this in mind, we have decided to make Communicating Europe a focal point of our Presidency. We will convene a Conference next April to highlight the importance of keeping the public informed and engaged in EU affairs. The meeting will also assess existing information initiatives.
Given the scale of this challenge, I have decided to invite European Affairs Ministers, representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament and a range of speakers to participate in this Conference. Civil society will also be involved through a meeting of the National Forum on Europe.”
“I believe that we here in Ireland have significant experience in this area. We learned our own lessons form Nice I. It is vital that we make the European Union more relevant to our citizens.
It is up to Governments and the EU Institutions to get the message out into the public domain. The EU has been hugely beneficial for Europe and for Ireland,” Roche said.
