We commemorate the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle's 'Appel de 18 juin', which came at a time of crisis for the whole of Europe.
The economic crisis that we can now describe as a "recession" will force us - if we want to get out of it - to reconsider and integrate the role of new participatory actors.
Democracy is indeed changing, because of the enormous advances that have taken place in the field of communications, particularly with the Internet, which is itself one of the main causes of the globalization of information.
The present era requires a strong call for a new Europe.
Citizens and civil society, especially those represented by associations and NGOs, foundations, can and must contribute to solving this crisis, mainly by considering its social aspects.
This combination will be a formidable contribution for reinforcing democratic change to the governance of States.
With all these new actors, we will be in a great debate, in which the role of morality and ethics, in the field of politics and economics, will have to be discussed in a thoughtful and responsible way.
The aim of a new system of governance should be to move closer to achieving political balance and thus ensuring effective and fair government.
This means accepting a comprehensive approach to power with more dialogue, consensus, and the consideration of multiple interests. In times of crisis, this integrated approach is of great importance.
The concept is not only intended for national implementation but also for use at the international level.
The inclusion of multiple interests and the search for consensus could in fact be the new guidelines for a modern form of diplomacy in a multipolar world.
In this logic, it seems necessary, for example, to restructure international organizations such as the United Nations, the IMF, or the World Bank.
All these organizations were introduced shortly after the Second World War, and the world has changed a great deal since then, particularly with the end of colonial empires, the end of the USSR and the emergence of new powers.
As we take stock of a newly configured world, we should also consider major democratic reforms of international institutions.
If we want to mobilize the whole world to resolve this global crisis. we shold consider reforming the U.N. Security Council to ncludes not only an African country but also India and Brazil. There should also be a seat for the European Union.
We should allow the chairmanship of major financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the IMF, to be held by representatives from outside the USA and Europe.
The mobilization of many countries and their citizens to revive the world economy today is a binding imperative if we are to resolve this crisis, which has become social, in the most rapid and impartial manner possible.
This is particularly urgent because this crisis is not the only one, we will have to face in the years to come.
The climate crisis is already a challenge. The threat posed by climate change can, of course, only be tackled at the international level because pollution and natural disasters know no state borders.
New governance must not only be applied at the international level but also locally.
In fact, the search for a consensus by considering the greatest number of partners in the development of policy approaches also makes sense at the local level, in municipalities and at the regional level, in departments.
It is an opportunity to promote a direct and sustained involvement of citizens in the life of the city and/or the region.
This will make people want to be part of the political decision-making process, which can, in times of crisis, defuse many social conflicts.
We can also associate the business world with the practice of local governance. Indeed, concerted decisions that are explained to an entire workshop, division or factory would reduce the risk of conflict.
This reduction in the distance between hierarchical levels makes it possible to mobilize all employees in a movement where everyone feels, by consensus, useful and indispensable to the smooth running of the group as a whole.
This local governance is an important element of European civil society which must operate in parallel with national governance and with governance at European level in Brussels.
The involvement of as many citizens as possible in public decisions will be politically effective at national and European level.
It is most probably through this form of participatory engagement that we can establish a vibrant European citizenship that integrates at the same time a sense of local, national, and European belonging.
The implementation of modern governance techniques seems easy to achieve today using means of communication such as the Internet, which has amply demonstrated its capacity to mobilize and organize.
A large number of European citizens are familiar with and use social networks, and the transition to a form of governance incorporating this logic would be simple to implement.
For the European Union, this could be an extraordinary project for the modernization of democracy which, once completed, could become Europe's real contribution to the global democratic debate.
We have, through the subject of new governance, a theme for beautiful and noble political debates for the "Future of Europe" Conference.
This will interest citizens and voters through the perspectives they offer and the new dynamic process they could initiate in the European Union.