(Please see below for the English version)

Artistes, entrepreneurs, chercheurs, journalistes, fonctionnaires ou élus, étudiants… De nationalités et de sensibilités politiques diverses, les membres de Celsius partagent la conviction que le projet européen est le seul qui puisse permettre aux générations futures d’Européens de conserver la maîtrise de leur destin collectif dans la mondialisation. Et que ce projet politique est indissociable d’un héritage et d’un projet de civilisation. La diversité de cet héritage, et le risque d’appauvrissement culturel qui traverse aujourd’hui nos sociétés, doivent conduire à faire vivre des échanges européens qui ne se limitent pas à l’agenda politique du moment, mais embrassent tous les aspects de la culture européenne dans la recherche d’un avenir partagé.

L’Europe est à un tournant de son histoire politique. La sortie progressive de l’impasse institutionnelle ne doit pas faire oublier que la vraie question qui se pose en arrière-plan de cette crise est celle du renouvellement des finalités du projet européen.

Cette réflexion doit associer la conscience historique de ce qui demeure essentiel dans le projet initial – la paix entre les peuples d’Europe, la construction commune d’un espace de prospérité et de solidarité – et la prise en compte des enjeux essentiels des années à venir. Parmi eux, citons :

•    la définition d’un nouveau rapport à l’environnement dans laquelle l’Europe a pris des positions courageuses, mais doit entraîner le reste du monde, et auquel elle doit adapter ses instruments traditionnels;

•    la place de l’Europe dans la nouvelle donne internationale du savoir, de la production et des échanges, et l’adaptation des politiques européennes et de leurs instruments traditionnels à ces évolutions;

•    la sécurité individuelle et collective des Européens, incluant notamment la mise en commun d’outils de défense mais aussi la prévention des nouvelles menaces telles que le terrorisme, les grands risques de santé publique, l’insécurité énergétique, la résurgence de formations politiques non démocratiques;

•    la conscience d’une identité européenne qui tienne compte des courants qui traversent les sociétés européennes : mise en question et réaffirmation des identités nationales ; revendication des autonomies régionales ; recherche complexe d’enracinement historique chez les peuples européens, à l’est notamment; évolution de l’identité religieuse et de son articulation avec le politique;

•    la démographie européenne et les flux migratoires, et leurs conséquences sur l’économie, les cultures et  les sociétés européennes.

C’est dans ce contexte, et parce que l’Europe a toujours progressé dans un dialogue entre la société civile et la société politique, que s’est créé Celsius.

ENGLISH VERSION:

Celsius is a non-profit association regrouping artists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, researchers, civil servants, students from various European countries and different generations. They share an ambition to revive fundamental debates about Europe, beyond expert circles.

It was created in 2007. It partly stemmed from the rejection of the so-called “European Constitution” treaty by referendum in France and the Netherlands in 2005. Most of us were disappointed by the misunderstandings that had plagued the campaign, and superficiality of the underlying public debate.

Beyond the short term factors and domestic political hazards that had interfered, in both countries, with the vote, it appeared to some of us that people had become unable to develop, and to share or discuss, a common vision of the essential purposes of the European Union, to link its roots in Europe’s History with a vision of its future. Technical debates, although most of them do need clear and meaningful political choices to be made, remain increasingly obscure and disconnected from the people’s understanding or expectations.

Assessing the existing think tanks and foundations, most of which were familiar to some of us who had been invited to participate in their activities, we came to the view that none of them really matched our wish to provide new thoughts on what Europe means to us and needs from us. And most of the available literature about Europe, especially as regards reviews, carried a rather strong blend of déjà vu.

In order to work differently, we have tried to set our own path. Confronting people of different horizons on fundamental topics has the virtue, not only to allow those of them who are not experts in a given field to think actively about the issues, but also to constrain those who are experts –some of us are, in various fields- to provide thoughts which are understandable to the others. As a result, we hold talks that will hopefully prove to be fertile and become a matrix for further public discussions. In order to achieve that, the meetings we had so far avoided academic formats and the distinction between “speakers” and the audience: although some members or participants do volunteer to give short presentations, or previously circulate papers, everyone participates on an equal, active basis.

Our first meeting, in Madrid (November 2007) focused on two topics: religion and the European identity, and energy and the future of Europe. The second one, in Brussels (June 2008), on a single question: “What power does Europe need?” (you will find its program attached to this mail, although as mentioned before, planned speakers are not, by far, the only ones, and debates matter more to us than presentations. The next one, in Berlin on April 3rd and 4th, 2008, will challenge the question of trust in Europe, which is at the heart of most pending difficulties: “Do Europeans trust each other?” is the theme we have chosen.

The young team which manages Celsius reflects its diversity: one of them teaches ancient Greek in the Sorbonne, the second one is a researcher in biophysics, the third a climate expert working on the current international negotiations, the fourth a junior High Court judge, and the fifth a young eastern European  civil servant in Brussels.