Media Event in Brussels
During the last session of the Convention for the Future of Europe we organized an event just in front of the European Parliament.
Nearly 40 activists from 5 different countries gathered in Brussels on the Place Luxembourg. Some of them met already on Thursday evening in Brussels and celebrated our second success: the EU-citizens'-initiative-right. (Read about the backround the amazing report from Micheal Efler: A rollercoaster ride towards democracy.
On Friday 13th the last official meeting of the convention took place and some ERC-activists joined this "historical moment". Before the session began the joint resolution - ERC-appeal signed by 97 members of the convention on the future of Europe and more than 120 NGOs - was handed over to Mr. Amato, member of the presidium of the convention.
The Press-conference began at 14.30 at "Place du Luxembourg" vis-ŕ-vis the European Parliament.
All was prepared: sound & sandwiches and last but not least our 7m high inflatable display symbolizing the EU-Constitution. An arrow demanding "only by fair referenda" pointed to it.
This picture right in front of the EU-Parliament has attracted the attention of 15 camera teams filming the Constitution. Pictures were found on the next days in numerous newspapers, some TV-stations and were stored in all big press archives (Links to the reports).
Some camera teams filmed the constitution while we inflated it.
The bus in front of the European Parliament During the press conference Mr. Meyer and Mr. Bonde expressed the importance of the the EU-citizens'-initiative-right for a democratization of the EU and underlined as well as Michael Efler and Thomas Rupp that a democratic legitimised EU-Constitution needs to be submitted to referenda in all countries concerned.
Also our activists from Belgium (WIT) held a special press conference for the Begium press.
After the press conference all activists stayed together at the "Place du Luxembourg" vis-ŕ-vis the European Parliament, next to the Suisse Embassy, and had a dinner until sunset and late in the evening - when the 7m high inflatable display already was packed into the bus of "Mehr Demokratie" - we left this place and went on celebrating this amazing day for the ERC.
