THE EUROPEAN BALCONY PROJECT

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

The fundamental idea of Europe, to quote Jean Monnet, was ‘not to integrate states, but to unify people’. In the historic year of 2018, 100 years after the end of WWI and the proclamation of various republics throughout Europe, the European Balcony Project looks into a common European future and calls for a new Europe without nations - a citizen-centred, decentralized Europe. The idea of the common good - the res publica - underpinning any future European order, shall also be the foundation of a European Republic. This is the building block of this artistico-political project.

The main component of this project is the proclamation of a European Republic on 10 November at 4 p.m. Countless theatres, private citizens and NGOs take part and stage the reading of a manifesto (as attached). Local organisers are free to adapt their event and the text of the manifesto to the respective local contexts. Rather than actually gaining approval for every paragraph of the manifesto, the project wishes to contribute to a broad, pan-European debate on the future of European democracy. The manifesto is translated into more than 20 languages amongst Esperanto, Latin or Catalan. For this purpose, local organisers provide a framework for the proclamation. This includes discussion events, theatre plays and other formats which accompany the proclamation. The European Democracy Lab provides background and outreach material, coordinates the participating institutions and is in charge of the production of the documentation of the project.

The European Balcony Project differs from other dialogue-centred projects such as citizens consultations by laying out a clear vision for the future course of European integration. Albeit radical to some, it is believed that laying out such a concise idea willproduce a fruitful discussion on Europe’s future.