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Annelise Oeschger: "No two-speed Europe, no fortress Europe"

The international NGOs will help the Council of Europe build "a single Europe where human rights and democracy are not a luxury". The new Chair of the international NGO liaison committee, Annelise Oeschger, who represents the international movement ATD – Fourth World, sets out her work priorities at a time when the Committee of Ministers has just granted the NGOs participatory status, which signals greater recognition for the representatives of civil society.

Interview (28.01.2004)

Question: You have just been elected chair of the Liaison Committee of international NGOs, which were recently granted a new status. What will that change in real terms?

Annelise Oeschger: This new status will enable us to do more to help the Council of Europe play its political role. A door has been opened to us. We have officially become the Council's fourth pillar alongside the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. We now have a formal legal basis for making our views count. We have a stronger position than in the past, when we were too heavily dependent on the goodwill of others.

Question: How exactly do the NGOs contribute to the activities of the Council of Europe?

Annelise Oeschger: Our great asset is being on the ground, sharing the lives of the 800 million citizens living in Europe. We want their aspirations to be reflected in the Organisation's texts and actions, we want its recommendations to be close to reality and change everyday life. Of course, we still have to convince people and overcome their fears. A lot of people think we are just there to criticise but that is far from what we are about. We wish to make a positive contribution to the Organisation's work. Our first outing with this new status will be the 3rd summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council and we will ask to sit on the Committee officially responsible for preparing the summit. It will be an opportunity to recognise that citizens are the true players in political life. The upper echelons do not see enough of their everyday efforts. It is by giving recognition to their story and their role that we will be able to mobilise them in the future.

Question: What are the objectives and priorities of your chairmanship?

Annelise Oeschger: We want to demonstrate that human rights and democracy are absolutely vital to securing progress. People tend to see these things today as a luxury. But we are convinced that it is through human rights that citizens can have their lives improved and enjoy greater security in Europe. We will focus in particular on the countries that are not candidates for European Union membership, as they risk being forgotten and falling back into old ways. We are going to help the Council of Europe build a single Europe: not a two-speed Europe and certainly not a fortress Europe.

Question: There are some 380 international NGOs recognised by the Council of Europe. Can you outline what they do?

Annelise Oeschger: They are international organisations that dialogue with their national branches to arrive at common viewpoints on a European scale. They are active in a great variety of areas such as the environment, social cohesion, heath, education or women's or minority rights.

Question: We hear a lot about individualism in Europe and insularity, what is the degree of commitment to the voluntary sector today?

Annelise Oeschger: I think that commitment in the small voluntary structures is still substantial, even if it is less enduring. It is true that there is a risk of people losing heart if they get the impression that nothing is changing despite their efforts. It is important that they see to what extent the NGOs have influenced major texts, like the one on social cohesion for example. The people who are locally active on an everyday basis are helping to build this Europe of ours.

Question: Next week ATD is organising a forum in Warsaw on extreme poverty in Europe. What are you looking to achieve?

Annelise Oeschger: For two days, young people and adults living in poverty will be working alongside people committed to their cause. This encounter will bring together people from all social backgrounds and origins, from north and south. Our prime objective is for them to discover one another as human beings. To discover that by breaking down geographical but also, and above all, social barriers, it is possible to put together initiatives and build a Europe of dignity for all. I think that this approach could also generate a contribution towards the 3rd summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe.