To realize these two basic objectives, Bridging Europe launched a unique series of activities in the spring and summer of 2002. For nine weeks, 1,000 people between the ages of 18 and 25 from 33 European countries participated in an online community, discussing issues of critical importance to the future of Europe, such as European identity, E.U. enlargement and E.U. institutions. They used Web-based dialogue as a platform to make their voices heard by European leaders; their weekly discussion partners included representatives from political institutions, businesses, NGOs, the media and academia. Following this Web dialogue, the whole group of 1,000 young Europeans traveled to Denmark for a two-week meeting to produce a draft proposal for a European constitution, welcomed by the then Danish E.U. presidency and the president of the Convention on the Future of Europe.

The Forum acts as a catalyst for new ideas that can contribute to the common good, and as a clearinghouse for evaluating the pertinence of these ideas. This is why from the outset the World Economic Forum and Monday Morning did not intend to appear as substitutes for the few prominent European institutions that lobby for new policy ideas. The only purpose was to widen and deepen the debate about the future of Europe and to create a sense of engagement and commitment. If the nine weeks of Web dialogue and the two weeks of meetings in Denmark had to be summarized in just a few words, these would be community, shared values and trust in public institutions.

These may seem rather vague and insufficiently focused on the complex details of Europe's legal architecture or the subtleties of the Common Agricultural Policy, but they constitute the foundation on which the Europe-in-the-making is being erected. These three core principles are very close to the mandate and broad beliefs of the Forum. Building communities that share a vision and a common destiny has been one of the core activities of the Forum in its 33 years of existence. Why? Because problems have to be jointly defined if they are to be resolved as a collaborative effort among all stakeholders. Working in isolation is doomed to fail. Equally, trust is key if solutions are to be found in earnest. Trust is the fundamental value upon which our societies are built. Without trust, there is no well-functioning society and there is less economic growth. Trust is the fuel that animates our lives. Once it is lost, it is incredibly difficult to regain.

A survey recently conducted by Gallup and Environics International on behalf of the Forum confirmed that trust in institutions is at an all-time low. Bridging Europe was a first step in trust building in Europe. It will be pursued during the six days of the annual meeting in Davos; Bridging Europe youth delegates will participate in the official program and take part in special private sessions with government representatives, such as George A. Papandreou, Greece's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and key European business leaders. In the future, the Bridging Europe Initiative will continue to assist groups of European citizens to connect with one another and build bridges across the Continent. In 2003, it will provide a platform for entrepreneurs, including technology pioneers, social innovators and female business leaders. Kicked off during the annual meeting by Erkki Liikanen, E.U. Commissioner for Enterprise, the group will share experiences, participate in national policy round tables and feed their recommendations into a European Competitiveness Summit to be held later this year. All of which makes Bridging Europe fit perfectly with the theme of this year's meeting: "Building Trust."

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