The European Union leaders' recent summit at Laeken in Belgium concluded with agreement on how discussions about the EU's future would be structured. Those discussions will conclude in 2004 with a new treaty which will attempt to close the gap between the EU and its citizens.
In parallel with the summit over 100,000 trade unionists and anti-globalisation protesters partook in three days of demonstrations and street protests.
While these latest protests will once again be remembered for the violent actions of a small minority, the protesters can claim some real achievements at this summit.
Their high profile activity, along with the Irish voters' rejection of the Nice Treaty, has forced EU leaders to sit up and take notice of the gap between their own actions and the views of their electorates.
The summit declaration acknowledged a wide range of criticisms of the EU.
It concluded that European institutions must be brought closer to its own citizens and that a "moral framework" needed to be developed to address the challenges of globalisation beyond its own borders.
Led by the sympathetic Belgian Prime Minister, the summit agreed to establish a Convention on the Future of Europe consisting of representatives from the parliaments of each state, from the European Parliament and from the European Commission.
In order to provide a voice for citizens a parallel Civil Society Forum is to be convened, consisting of social partners, the business world, and non-governmental organisations.
The EU wants to bring the protesters off the streets and to start a dialogue to accommodate their concerns. However, such a dialogue is doomed to failure before it starts.
The anti-globalisation movement is a collection of organisations and individuals that share a concern that increased international trade is doing more harm than good for developing countries. They differ on whether environmental, social or economic reform is more urgent, and they share neither common objectives nor a common view on how to advance their own objectives.
The opportunity to input into the EU forum might provide the focus needed for elements of the movement to agree a joint platform.
The occasion of the summit encouraged some of the demonstrators to agree a range of objectives, including:
Allowing developing countries to take all necessary measures to protect agriculture and support local production
Taxing currency transactions to provide finance for developing countries
Shutting down the European arms industry.
Such change is likely to prove too fundamental for the majority of EU leaders even if anti-globalisation organisations agreed to partake in the forum.
So who will participate in the EU forum?
In fact the EU recognises hundreds of citizens' organisations. These range from the Red Cross to the European Women's Lobby and their concerns cover every aspect of voluntary civil activity.
Used to working with the EU's institutions, these organisations welcome the opportunity for official representation.
They have long argued that the EU is losing legitimacy with voters and needs to increase civil participation.
Very few of them share the views or objectives of the anti-globalisation protesters. And their own ideas for EU reform are certain to fall well short of satisfying the anti-globalisation lobby.
So will the new forum actually achieve anything positive? Yes. For the first time EU leaders will receive feedback from an important section of its citizens about its performance. It will hear their views on how it needs to change.
But no, even if the forum could coax some of the anti-globalisation organisations to join it is unlikely to agree to recommend radical change.
As such the likelihood that the forum will take demonstrators off the streets is minimal. And the likelihood that the forum will actually result in a new citizen-focused EU is also limited.
The original founding fathers of Europe were visionaries. But the structures of the EU today are designed to substitute consensus for vision.
That consensus in turn has distanced the EU from the hearts and minds of its citizens - and tinkering with the European model will be insufficient to stop the gap from widening. Where are the new visionaries who can restore our faith in the Union? Among the demonstrators on the street perhaps.
Mark Henry is researching the impact of the anti-globalisation movement on business and political affairs. He may be contacted at mark_j_henry@yahoo.com