"Consolidation of rights and of the European social model through the full implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights"; "strengthening of participatory democracy based on the rules of the new Treaty"; "revival of the after-2010 Lisbon Strategy through a proactive approach to globalisation and innovative investments". Mario Sepi summarises in these three points his workplan to the EU’s Economic and Social Committee, of which today he will be appointed new president until 2010. Italian (he lives in Umbria), an activist of the Federalist movement since a young age, then a researcher in European issues and director of the Catholic-inspired trade union, Sepi has been a member of Cese since 1994. "I hope I am not the last Federalist left", he explains on preview to SIR. "One thing for sure: now more than ever, there’s a need to bring the citizens closer to the institutions by pursuing effective results and proving that a united Europe can be better prepared to face the great global challenges we are confronted by, from the economic to the environmental ones". "In the run-up to the election for the European Parliament, a real participatory democracy must become a priority". (continued)
