Heerlen 3 -
third green weekend in Luik / Liège / Lüttich (Be) - draft programme.
From December 17-19 the Heerlen
Group will meet for the third time, this time hopefully with some participants
from elsewhere. For those who don't know us: we are a group of members &
party officials of Écolo and Groen! (Belgium), Die Grünen Nordrhein-Westfalen
(Germany) and GroenLinks (Netherlands), aiming at the exchange of ideas and
experiences, joint actions and the strengthening of cross border and European
conscience.
Background: Our first meeting, in January 2001 in Heerlen (Neth.),
attended by some 20 people, resulted in a joint statement, good intentions, and
a mail list that was never much used. During the second meeting, in October
2003 in Düsseldorf (Germany), unfortunately without Groen! that had
dramatically lost the national elections, the group decided to become a pilot
for the 'individual supportership' of the (then future) European Green Party,
to be voted at the EFGP Council the following month.
This year we have focussed on the regional level - we organised a green
cross border relay tour along our borders as part of the European elections
campaign; we set up a new mail list that is used more and more*; and two green
(international) football tournaments, starring Die Grünen Münster and
GroenLinks (both ended 3-3). We participated in a European anti-nuclear demo in
Paris (last January) and we are designing a multilingual website for debate
(co-operating with the French ex-MEP Françoise Duthu).
At the moment, we are preparing
Heerlen-3, to be hosted by Écolo. One of our goals is to get Groen! aboard
again, if possible in the preparatory stage. Another is to invite greens from
other countries: up to now, France and England are ready to join, to widen our
scope and to really become the example we intended to be.
Below you'll find the final
programme – although some of our invited speakers have not yet confirmed:
Content:
Workshops on:
1. The Heerlen
Group: what has been achieved, how we
want to proceed and what needs to be done in order to achieve it. The website
will be discussed, as well as how to manage the Yahoo group and the information
in the group.
This will be a plenary workshop, at the beginning of the weekend.
Coordination: Marianne (chairperson)
Speakers: presentation of what has been done up to now: Jos, Marianne
and Diana (or someone from DE).
2. The Individual Supportership of the European Green Party: developments since
Heerlen 2, and plans. What have our parties and other members of the European
Green Party done to put this new possibility of individual involvement on a
European level into practice? And how can we inspire parties to go ahead ? In
this workshop, contributions from outside our parties and from the EGP board
are especially welcome.
Coordination: Patrick.
Speakers: Lin, + ?
3.
Cross border co-operation on a regional level.
A workshop on the why's, the
where's and the how's. During the European election
campaign, some local and regional groups on different sides of the borders
really got the taste of working together. In this workshop we'll try to turn
some of these contacts into permanent ones, by inviting the people concerned.
The Borderless Green & Social, a joint project of GroenLinks
Groningen and Drente and five border districts of Die Grünen Niedersachsen that
will be launched officially in February, but is already very alive - and
kicking as well! – have accepted our invitation.
4. 2 political
themes that have been finalized in Brussels
on 10 November:
Programme:
Friday 17 December, 18.00: arrival
and visit of Liège from the Citadelle and typical Liège dinner.
Saturday 18 December
8.30 a.m. Registration desk opens (someone from Liège?)
9.30-10 a.m. Welcome address by local
Ecolo leader, Hans Niessen, or Marianne ;-)
10-11 a.m. Heerlen
workshop (chair: Marianne)
11 a.m. Coffee break
11.15 a.m.-1 p.m.:
a. Workshop Individual supportership
(Chair: Patrick Kopitsche)
b. Workshop Crossborder cooperation
(Chair: Greet Goverde)
1-2 p.m. Sandwich lunch
2-3.30 p.m. Political
issue: the European Constitution (Chair: Bas)
invited
participant: specialist in European law (Marianne contacts)
3.30-4 p.m. Coffee break
4 -5.30 p.m. Political issue: Extreme
right wing (Chair: Groen! or Diana)
invited
participants: Groen!
around 6 p.m. Meeting of the workshop
chairmen to prepare the reports.
Evening: typical dinner and evening in a nightclub
Sunday 19 December
10-11.30: Plenary session
-
Reports of the workshops.
-
Decisions to be taken concerning the Heerlen group
(management, future, …)
Afterwards, there is a big market in Liège along the Meuse River (La Batte),
where those who wish to stay a little longer can go for "apéro" and
some tourist activity!
Practicalities:
Accommodation:
In the youth hostel: 15.75 euros per night for 5-7 bed
rooms, including breakfast. Surplus for double and individual rooms. Recommended
deadline inscriptions for accommodation: 15 November.
Possibility to stay withlocal greens, on a first come/first served basis.
Registration:
50 euros if arriving on Friday (includes Friday dinner,
Saturday lunch and dinner)
40 euros if arriving on Saturday (includes Saturday lunch
and dinner)
Payment is to be made in cash at the registration desk.
Marianne Saenen (Écolo)
Diana Siebert (Die Grünen
Nordrhein-Westfalen)
Lin Tabak (GroenLinks)
REGISTRATION FORM (to be sent to Marianne: marianne_s@swing.be)
Name
Address
Party
e-mail
Will participate and
arrive on
O Friday (after 17.00)
O Saturday
(registration from 8.30)
O Will stay in the
youth hostel
O Would like
accommodation with locals in Liège
O Other
Please note:The workshops are accessible to all. There is a
choice to be made between the Individual
supportership and Cross-border
cooperation wokshops, that take place simultaneously.