Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on External action of the Union: the role of organised civil society
Date: 2006-05-17
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU policy, European citizenship, foreign policy, international cooperation

C 195/62

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

18.8.2006

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on External action of the Union: the
role of organised civil society

(2006/C 195/16)

On 28 January 2004 the European Economic and Social Committee decided, under Rule 29(2) of its Rules
of Procedure, to draw up an opinion on External action of the Union: the role of organised civil society.

The Section for External Relations, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the
subject, adopted its opinion on 4 May 2006. The rapporteur was Mr Koryfidis.

At its 427th plenary session, held on 17 and 18 May 2006 (meeting of 17 May), the European Economic
and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 140 votes to 3 with 9 abstentions.

1.
This opinion is drawn up on the basis of a questionnaire
and a study. These are the result of lengthy theoretical analysis
and practical investigation, as well as of the experience acquired
by the EESC in the relations it has established with the consul-
tative bodies and other organisations of civil society in the
candidate countries and non-member countries. The whole
project, which has taken a number of years, has convinced the
EESC that it must initiate a new stage in which its commit-
ments and the relations they involve will be more organised
and regular and will have better prospects.

7.
To create this familiarity, but also more generally to
enable European citizens to cope with a society and an
economy based on knowledge, a new approach to lifelong
learning programmes is needed. In practice this means inclu-
sion in the existing lifelong learning programmes of knowledge
related to globalisation and to the external action of the Union.

The EESC as the mouthpiece of organised civil society at

8.
the European level is entrusted with a triple role:

2.
The EESC takes the view that the globalisation of the
economy and developments in science and technology — espe-
cially information technology — create a strong force that can
be controlled only by shifting the epicentre of formation and
development of contemporary international relations. The basic
expression of this shift should be the structural integration of
relations between societies into traditional relations between
states.

— that of organised civil society's voice on matters of external
action vis-à-vis the Union's political bodies, based on its
democratic acquis and a process of
reconciliation of
different interests;

— that of active participation in the planning and develop-
ment of the Union's policies involving external action;

3.
It follows that the Union as a system of governance and
as a unified whole should recognise the new reality as soon as
possible. This recognition implies that it should also plan and
develop policies for external action, with the active participa-
tion and contribution of organised civil society in imple-
menting them.

4.
These policies should be preventive where possible, and
at all events integrated. The European democratic system, the
European economic and social acquis, the strategic aims of the
Union and reliable knowledge are the basis for framing and
developing these policies within and outside its frontiers.

5.
This situation will call for a new internal organisational
balance and a more creative balance between competition and
cooperation, especially in sectors and activities directed outside
the frontiers of the Union.

How European civil

themselves
6.
should become aware of their new role is a complex problem.
It calls for the promotion of modern methods of acquiring
familiarity with learning and knowledge.

society organisations

— that of monitoring the external policies implemented by the

EU and their economic and social effects.

9.
The EESC's role covers a wide range of issues and activ-
ities, because all the problems arising from the new global
environment are relevant to one or other of its aspects (i.e. the
economic, social, environmental or cultural dimension).

10.
In this context the most substantial contribution of the
EESC to the framing and development of policies relating to
the external action of the Union is its capacity to produce a
creative balance whenever it takes a position on an issue. The
interests
is achieved by integrating the various
balance
expressed by its members, in the context of a process and an
approach covering the four dimensions mentioned above.

11.
It should be pointed out that the EESC already has
considerable experience in matters relating to the Union's
external action. On the other hand, there is a deficit as regards
making good use of this experience through broader Com-
munity mechanisms and approaches. The Community institu-
tions, in particular, have not managed to use to the full this
experience and the conclusions provided to them through
opinions, information reports and suggestions.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 195/63

12.
The EESC takes the view that better ways should be
found to make a link between this experience and the Union's
central political structures. One possible way would be the
signing of protocols on increased cooperation such as the
protocol agreed between the European Commission and the
EESC. An even better way would be collaboration by all the
Union's political bodies and the EESC on the development of
relevant integrated, and preferably preventive, policies.

13.
At all events the EESC perceives and points out a need
to strengthen its role and the role of organised civil society
more generally in the processes of globalisation. The broad
reason for this is the need to promote the wider goals of the
Union in the world of the 21st century. A specific reason for it
— particularly in the case of the EESC — has to do with how
these goals can be promoted. In other words it relates to the
EESC's still evolving new mode of operation in terms of the
knowledge-based society, together with a unique characteristic:
the capacity it has to intervene credibly, outside the Union, at
the civil society level, using an approach which could be
described as ‘soft diplomacy’.

14.
The EESC seeks acknowledgment of and support for
that unique capacity. It seeks recognition as a global partner —
as the institutional representative of European organised civil
society — particularly in international organisations such as
the Economic and Social Council of the UN. It also calls for
promotion of its position and role in treaties signed with third
countries and of its policies designed to support civil society in
those countries.

15.
In carrying out the task referred to above, the EESC
seeks support for the development of its main policy choices in
the medium term. These include:

Brussels, 17 May 2006.

— creating a modern integrated system of proactive communi-
cation, exchange of information and networking with its
partners throughout Europe and the world, as well as with
the other bodies of the Union;

— stepping up its visibility and cooperation with intergovern-
mental and other relevant international organisations, parti-
cularly as regards relations with organised civil society;

— creating an ‘electronic knowledge bank’ on the activity of
bodies and structures that perform a consultative function
throughout the world and of networks of civil society orga-
nisations, and making full use of it as a tool for communi-
cation, rapprochement, comprehension and interpretation
of how civil society operates, and as a tool for promotion
of the Union's values and strategic aims throughout the
world;

— a report, to be drawn up every two years, on developments
in the activity of bodies and structures with a consultative
function in the world and the influence on them of the
Union's external action.

16.
In the context of the above observations and proposals
the EESC calls upon the Union's political bodies to adopt and
promote a method of continuing interinstitutional dialogue for
the purpose of:

— acquiring reliable collective knowledge about the Union's

external action;

— achieving a consensus on the what, the why and the how of

the activities to be developed.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Anne-Marie SIGMUND