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"Preface" [2006] ELECD 128; in Smismans, Stijn (ed), "Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006)

Book Title: Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance

Editor(s): Smismans, Stijn

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781843769460

Section Title: Preface

Number of pages: 2

Extract:

Preface
The origins of this book go back to a workshop I organised at the Institut
d'Etudes Politiques in Paris in May 2003. This was possible due to the
financial support of the European Union who had granted me a Marie Curie
Fellowship, and due to Renaud Dehousse who was ready to host the event.
The aim was to create an interdisciplinary exchange of ideas on civil society
and European governance. From my experience at the European University
Institute I know how difficult it is to get an interdisciplinary group together.
Fortunately, Paris is an easy place to attract people. More difficult is getting
them to stay in the working room, in particular in a place like Saint-Germain-
des-Prés. But apparently it worked, and people even appeared to enjoy it.
(Many thanks go to Astrid Gerecke for the practical organisation). Even to the
extent that when the workshop had finished some went on debating civil
society in the Jardin du Luxembourg rather than strolling through Paris. But it
might also have been that they were just too exhausted by the workshop and
the surprising spring heat that they didn't get further than the nearby Jardin du
Luxembourg, where unintended they bumped into their colleagues again.
Anyway, it was at that moment, having some refreshment under the trees and
backed by the funny James Bond tunes of the jazz band in the park, that I
definitely decided the initiative should be given a follow-up in ...