Regional Dialogues
2013 marks the 40th anniversary of Irish accession to the EU. This anniversary coincides with Ireland’s 7th rotation holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU and with the designation of 2013 as the European Year of Citizens.
In light of the successful launch of the Year of Citizens by the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and President Barroso in Dublin, and to follow on from the Citizens’ Dialogue event which took place with Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms Viviane Reding & Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD, (full details below) EM Ireland are pleased to announce a number of regional dialogues which will take place around the country over the course of 2013.
Cork Regional Dialogue, Cork City Hall, Friday 15 February. More information is available by following this link.
Galway Regional Dialogue, Galway County Hall, Monday 8 April. More information is available by following this link.
A Debate on the Future of Europe
In his 2012 State of the Union address, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, called for a broad debate of a truly European dimension with citizens of the EU. To this end, between September 2012 and December 2013, the European Commission is organising a series of dialogues with EU citizens from all walks of life, entitled A Debate on the Future of Europe.
As part of this debate, Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms Viviane Reding, is holding 19 Citizens’ Dialogue events in locations across the EU, which are also available online to interested citizens worldwide. These dialogues are open meetings of 200-500 people, during which political leaders from the Commission, other European and national Institutions and local politicians, stand ready to listen to and engage with citizens on the issues that are affecting them.
Four Citizens’ Dialogue events have taken place across the EU since the initiative’s original launch in September 2012. The fifth of these took place in Dublin City Hall on 10 January 2013.
In line with the Commission’s stated focus on communicating with EU citizens, 2013 has been designated the European Year of Citizens.
Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2013 and, as such, has a special responsibility to mark the Year of Citizens. This Presidency will also coincide with the 40th anniversary of our accession to the EEC, providing Irish citizens with an ideal opportunity for public reflection on four decades of EU membership.
Launch of the European Year of Citizens 2013 & Citizens’ Dialogue Event
On 10 January 2013, Dublin City Hall placed host to the launch of the European Year of Citizens with Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD; Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. Following the launch, a Citizens’ Dialogue – a frank and open exchange of opinions on the current economic crisis, the rights of European citizens and the future of the European Union – took place between 200 citizens and Vice-President of the European Commission, Ms Viviane Reding and Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD.
Application to attend this event was open to all citizens. However, due to the limited number of available places, and the high demand anticipated, those interested in attending were kindly requested to fill in the below Expression of Interest form. Invitations were then issued following submission of the Expression of Interest form. Alternatively, the Expression of Interest form was available to download here and could be posted to Citizens’ Dialogue, European Movement Ireland, 6 Merrion Square, Dublin 6: Citizens Dialogue – Expression of Interest form .pdf
A full report regarding this event will be available to download soon. In the meantime, a selection of photos of the day are available to view on the EM Ireland Facebook page.
If you have any questions or queries regarding this event, please contact citizensdialogue@europeanmovement.ie.
