Doc. 9113
6 June 2001

Future of democracy

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Wielowieyski and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1. In the course of the last decade, citizens’ aspirations towards a stronger participation in political decision-making have been on the rise, the mere act of voting being judged as an insufficient means of expressing the people’s will on elements which strongly affect their lives.

2. Right from the beginning the Assembly has taken an interest in this aspiration and
co-operated with non-governmental organisations in order to invite input to feed its own reflection on the potential methods with which to respond to this aspiration. Upon different occasions, the Assembly has presented governments with proposals that would favour the evolution of their relationship with their people leading towards more democracy.

3. It should be recognised, however, that these recommendations have not had the required impact. The resistance that representative democracy puts up against attempts to introduce democracy based on a stronger element of participation into its system is a source of large-scale citizens’ demands of an increasingly contesting nature. Manifestations organised on the occasion of large European and international conferences, eg the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle in 1999, constitute a visible proof of this phenomenon.

4.       Social restlessness linked to these phenomena occurring in the course of citizens’ emancipation constitutes a visible proof of the difficulties that political parities experience while trying to take over, in an exclusive manner, the task of liaising between the civil society and persons carrying political responsibilities.

5.       This evolution means that democracy based on representation is becoming increasingly fragile, while remaining the only system that is capable of ensuring the continuity of the rule of law, on condition that efforts are made in order to adapt it to social changes.

6.       One of the main reasons behind the existence of the Council of Europe is the willingness to meet challenges posed by such changes, in order to assure that democracy can function well.

7.       Non-governmental organisations, on the other hand, should take part in joint co-operation and try to find common elements related to the basic needs of the civil society behind every adopted line of action.

8.       In view of the above, the Assembly should enhance its links and co-operation with non-governmental organisations in order to jointly promote the introduction and integration of democracy based on participation into the system of representative democracy. A competent committee of the Parliamentary Assembly should propose specific initiatives, aimed at implementing such a co-operation for the benefit of European society as a whole.

Signed : ¹

Wielowieyski, Poland, EPP/CD

Anusz, Poland, EPP/CD

Bársony, Hungary, SOC

Berceanu, Romania, SOC

Blaauw, Netherlands, LDR

Bühler, Germany, EPP/CD

de Puig, Spain, SOC

Dreyfus-Schmidt, France, SOC

Frey, Switzerland, LDR

Iwiński, Poland, SOC

Krzaklewski, Poland, EPP/CD

Krzyzanowska, Poland, EPP/CD

Libicki, Poland, EDG

Ragnarsdóttir, Iceland, EDG

Rogozin, Russia, EDG

Squarcialupi, Italy, SOC

Štepová, Czech Republic, SOC

Surjan, Hungary, EPP/CD

Taylor, United Kingdom, EPP/CD

Urbańczyk, Poland, SOC

van der Linden, Netherlands, EPP

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group