Franck Biancheri:

The President of TIESWeb and the Newropeans Networks, founder of the Europe 2020 Foundation and AEGEE-EUROPE, Biancheri has been a successful European activist fighting for the democratization of the European Union for more than twenty years. Through his numerous exploits, Biancheri has demonstrated both his resolve and ability to further his cause and to reach out to people - the basis for any democratic campaign. His achievements include founding AEGEE-EUROPE, a student network that assembled over 12,000 members in its first three years of existence, creating the independent political party Initiative for a European Democracy (I.D.E.), launching and developing TIESWeb (the Transatlantic International Exchange System), the Newropeans Networks and the Europe 2020 Foundation. In 8 months, he personally animated a series of 100 debates in 25 different countries as part of the Newropeans Democracy Marathon (see below for more information). This Citizen Marathon inspired the Transatlantic U.S. Marathon, and earned Biancheri a place among Time Magazine’s People’s Choice 20 European Heroes (other heroes include Nelson Mandela, Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair and Bono of U2).

TIESWeb:

Transatlantic Information Exchange System (TIESWeb) was born at the "Bridging the Atlantic - People to People Conference," organized by the European Union, the Dutch EU Presidency and the United States in Washington, D.C. in 1997 as part of the New Transatlantic Agenda. TIESWEB was then launched at the EU/US summit of December ‘97 where EU President Jacques Santer and U.S. President Bill Clinton agreed that greater communication should occur between citizens to facilitate transatlantic relations. The mission of the organization has been to strengthen the transatlantic partnership by promoting dialogue between individuals on a people-to-people level. This dialogue is for the purpose of deepening the processes that support a liberal, democratic society.

As part of the further developing TIESWeb, Biancheri and his collaborators launched the Miami Weeks of 2002 and 2004. In April 2004, over the course of a week, a hundred participants and speakers coming from throughout the USA and the European Union, not to mention from the Middle East and Africa, gathered into Miami’s Children’s Museum in order to discuss key topics that affect transatlantic relations. Through several series of brainstorming seminars conclusions were drawn and presented to hundreds of Miami students, a series of keynote speakers from EU and USA, and the on-line community through the organization’s website. Currently, TIESWeb is planning Miami Week 2006, and of course the TIESWeb Transatlantic Citizen Marathon.

Newropeans Networks:

Newropeans Networks is an informal network of organizations and individuals belonging to European civil society (associations, foundations, universities, regions, media, companies, research centers, ...) who share the same conviction that the main challenge ahead of the European construction lies in democratizing the UE itself. Based on volunteering, every action of the Newropeans Networks wishes to associate in it interested partners willing to contribute to its implementation.

In October of 2002, the Newropeans Networks, in co-operation with the Europe 2020 think-tank, launched an unprecedented democratic event – the Newropeans Democracy Marathon. Franck Biancheri personally presented, explained, and argued in favor of the first European political project developed by the generations born after the Treaty of Rome: 14 concrete proposals designed to reform the European construction, entitled “Vision Europe 2020.” The document had already been widely distributed in June 2002 to European political leaders, heads of State and Government, members of European and national Parliaments, and members of the Convention on the Future of Europe. Biancheri then embarked on the Newropeans Democracy Marathon interacting in person with European citizens in order to learn what they thought about the E.U. and its future. He traveled to 100 different cities in 25 different countries animating debates and conferences with groups of all kinds (ranging from students to the elderly, farmers to disabled people’s associations). This exploit is the precursor to the TIESWeb Transatlantic Citizen Marathon.