The consultation process

“Open and inclusive” 

The White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue will be the end result of an “open and inclusive” consultation process, ensuring that the experience of the various stakeholders is reflected in the final document. The consultation process will also help to ensure that the White Paper, once published, induces a lasting discussion process and leads to practical implementation by as many partners as possible.
In April 2006, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe set down the guidelines for the consultation process. They outline the consultation process with:

• the governments of the 46 member states;
• the various independent organs of the Council of Europe and the institutions established under partial agreements;
• the steering committees of the Council of Europe;
• international organisations active in the area of intercultural dialogue;
• representatives of local and regional authorities, of ethnic and religious communities and civil society organisations;
• experts in the field of intercultural dialogue;
• the public at large.

Consultations will be organised through written questionnaires, discussions and dialogue events, written reports and individual contributions, such as through this web site.

More information on how you can contribute to the White Paper

Consultation document 

In order to facilitate the consultations, the Council of Europe developed a “consultation document”, which can be downloaded here. The document presents the background, the aims and the mechanisms of the consultation process and outlines the envisaged messages of the White Paper. It also contains more than 30 questions.

More information on the consultation questions

Timetable 

At present, the highlights of the consultation process include:

• March 2007 - Meeting with youth organisations and national committees of the “all different – all equal” youth campaign
• April 2007 - Consultation with the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations; European conference on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue (San Marino)
• May 2007 – Consultation with immigrant communities (Lisbon) and with representatives of Roma and Travellers
• June 2007 – Colloquy on the consultation results

The consultation period is expected to last from the end of 2006 to May 2007.
The White Paper is expected to be adopted by November 2007.

Consultation questionnaires 

In order to solicit the views of the major stakeholders, the Council of Europe uses a general questionnaire (contained in the “consultation document”) as well as a number of specific questionnaires designed for particular groups. Examples are the questionnaires for:

• Organisations representing, working with or supporting immigrants and persons of immigrant background
• Religious communities
• Civil society organizations
• Local and regional authorities
• Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
• National governments

Updated information on the consultation process

Patronage 

The consultation process will be accompanied by a group of eminent intellectuals and high political representatives, who will meet to evaluate the results of the consultations and to contribute to the drafting of the final text of the White Paper.