The governance of sustainable development with the New Member States of the European Union: WATER AS A NEW VECTOR FOR SOLIDARITY CHALLENGES, Suggestions for France's 2008 EU presidency

In November 2006, Mouvement Vraiment Durable launched a series of annual symposiums on The
governance of sustainable development with the New Member States of the European Union and the
first such event focused on sustainable development as a vector for solidarity.

Participants and delegates to the 2006 symposium endorsed a set of proposals now serving as a
platform known as the Annemasse Declaration. This document sets the framework for any future steps to be made on the way to EU co-operation for sustainable development. In particular, stakeholders call for a co-operation network that would act as a forum where best practice could be shared between them.

Based on the Declaration, Mouvement Vraiment Durable convenes all stakeholders in EU sustainable
development co-operation for annual symposiums where they can make a number of proposals on a
chosen theme. The issues for discussion are all in line with the Lisbon Strategy for enhanced EU
competitiveness.

The 2007 symposium will focus on the potential for solidarity in the area of water resources. The forum will take on a special dimension as Slovenia is about to take over the rotating EU chair from January 2008, to be followed by France and the Czech Republic.