Today, political leaders throughout Europe are facing a strange paradox. On one hand, people want us to find solutions to the major problems confronting our societies.
On the other hand, they increasingly distrust institutions and politics or are simply not interested in them. This problem applies to all political entities, but especially the European institutions because they are perceived as so remote from people's everyday lives.
The political system of the Union is extremely complex and hard for people to understand. Just as important, the public does not feel its voice is heard, or that the channels exist to make its views known.
This problem has long been clear to me. But if further proof were needed, we have only to consider the low turnout at European Parliament elections and in the recent Irish referendum.
I believe the time has come to make a determined and concerted effort to address these issues.
The European Commission will today adopt a White Paper on the reform of European governance which aims to make the workings of the Union more open, simpler and more democratic.
The real challenge for the Union is to reform the European political process and over time politics itself. A wide-ranging debate on the future of the Union has already started, preparing for institutional changes to be decided in 2004. The proposals the Commission will be making today pave the way for that debate.
In order to restore the confidence of our people, we should now demonstrate a far greater awareness of the expectations of the general public, civil society, the regions and local organisations. Before we start on new institutional reforms, we have to do whatever we can to bring about a change in the way we work, prepare and take decisions that affect them.
It is first and foremost a question of political will. Many of the essential reforms can be carried forward without new Treaties, and they are outlined in the White Paper.
Others will require deeper institutional reforms, in 2004, to which we will contribute at an early stage.
Reforming the governance of the Union means reforming the operation of the European institutions in the light of five key principles: openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence.
The functioning of the Union must be made easier to understand, so that the public can be better informed about the impact of Europe on their everyday lives.
We should make greater use of the skills and practical experience of regions and local authorities.
The Commission will propose new mechanisms to allow them as well as the civil society, to participate more effectively in the decision-making processes.
People need to trust and understand the decisions taken in their name. No matter how legislation is prepared and decided, it has to happen in a way which is easy to follow. We need to build public confidence in the way policy makers use expert advice.
This is not simply a technical matter, there are social and ethical issues at stake. For example, when decisions are taken on food safety, the public must have absolute confidence in the scientific advice that is being followed. This is why we will propose rules to assure the accountability of the experts appointed.
European legislation should focus on fundamentals and avoid pointless forays into detail. The impact of legislation should be assessed more methodically before it is passed, and after it is implemented. The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament should concentrate more and better on political direction and content, leaving the implementation to the Commission.
The Union must make better use of pooling best practice, it has to increase decentralisation and encourage greater co-operation between national, regional and local authorities on agreed objectives.
This way measures can be carried out with greater flexibility to reflect local or national requirements.
Above all, the Commission wants a European system that makes it clearer who does what. It has to be a system where there is a clearer separation of the legislative and executive roles between the Community institutions.
A system where the Union acts legitimately, openly and effectively wherever there is a real need, leaving the initiative in other areas to national, regional or local authorities or civil society.
To accomplish this programme all the institutions - including the Member States and national administrations - will have to show firm political will.
The Commission will make its contribution, but everyone will have to play their part if the European project is to be regarded a real success in the eyes of its people.
We all have to shoulder our responsibilities.
If we continue to depict Brussels as a remote entity, imposing unpopular decisions on the governments and peoples of Europe, we need hardly be surprised when our citizens express a lack of interest, mistrust and even outright rejection.
Reforming the governance of the Union also means governments must stop using Brussels as a scapegoat for decisions they themselves has agreed to. The Union is everyone's business. We must build a shared enterprise, an open, democratic model of integration so that every member of the European public can truly feel that the institutions belong to them.