The forum brought together representatives of government authorities, parliaments, local and regional authorities and civil society from all over Europe to discuss the theme of citizens' participation.
The launch of this forum is one of the concrete direct results of the Third Summit of the Council of Europe, which took place in Warsaw on 16 and 17 May 2005.
The meeting was opened at 2.30 pm on Thursday 3 November at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Speakers included Ambassador Joaquim Duarte, Chairman of the Ministers’ Deputies for the Portuguese Chair, René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Giovanni Di Stasi, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General.
Key guest speakers included Lech Walesa, Timothy Garton Ash, of the European Studies Centre in Oxford, and Gesine Schwan, Dean of the Viadrina University in Frankfurt an der Oder.
The second day was devoted to an exchange of experience and discussion of practical initiatives and programmes for enhancing citizens' participation. The launch meeting was closed by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Bogdan Borusewicz, Speaker of the Polish Senate.
 Programme
Conclusions
|
|
|
