Can Europe be the "propeller of a fairer, more controlled globalisation"? This is the key question which will be discussed in Paris on October 30th by politicians, NGOs, Nobel winners, writers, experts and journalists from 80 countries. The initiative, promoted by the EU jointly with the "European Confederation of emergency and development NGOs", aims to "compare different expectations and questions about the EU". Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French Secretary of State for European Affairs, will open the conference and is presiding over the organisation of the event. "Europe is known all over the world for its cultural diversity, for its protectionist social model", for "its strong commitment to the promotion of human rights, for the social fights that have made women more emancipated". There are however still "a few questions about the stability of the European social model over time and its ability to overcome its own boundaries". The event, already planned as part of the French Presidency’s six-month programme, has taken on a new meaning lately for the role that the 27 member states are playing in the worldwide financial and economic crisis. (continued)
