"Europe Without Borders."

Well, that's our lofty slogan. Our official 2009 EU Council Presidency version of same.

Yet it remains to be seen whether this will actually come to pass, or worse, whether these high and mighty cliches will fizzle into nothing short of feeylgood nonsense.

You know, I've been doing a great deal of thinking lately about our upcoming Presidency, which for our international readers who don't yet know, is set to take place from Janurary to June 2009. Cesko's European stewardship is to form part of the France-CR-Sweden Triplet, as it's officially become known around EU inner-circles.

You see, readers, despite what ultimately happens with the Lisbon Treaty -- and whether its passing will gravely de-fang the Czech version of the rotating EU institution -- there still remains plenty of room for innovation. Deputy PM Vondra has cited this fact on many occasions -- calling on fellow Bohemians, Moravians, and Silesians (and various Czech-Poles on the border regions) to be creative during our time heading the 27-member bloc.

As for me, I've been thinking of several key areas on how contribute to the realization of this grand vision. I've come up with several ideas, but here's one for you.

Introducing...the "Shadow" EU Council Presidency.

My concept is a purely citizen initiative. It will have its own URL and will furnish a variety of e-resources to the entire world during the half year during which Cesko -- de jure -- becomes the Continent.

The Shadow Presidency's portal will contain innovative citizen-initiated audio, video, and technical offerings which tells the story about what's going on in this country -- as pertains to the European Union.

It will be without all the usual bluster.

It will have none of the usual fluff-job you're going to get over at the Czech government's official version of same.

And it will run in parallel to our government's site. It will, of course, be entirely free.

When I say the Czech Republic becomes Europe for six months, I mean precisely that.

When a journalist or curiosity-seeker in a far-flung locale like Dili, East Timor, Kabul, or Nauru, seeks information about the European Union's present initiatives, all EU websites will automatically forward to ours.

Those PR golems earning cushy salaries manning the site's emails will politely refer punters to all needed resources and links. They will be charged with putting a very glossy shine on the CR's minutest activity at the EU's helm. That sites daily e-outs will likely contain a great deal of spin. In short, the site will be boring.

But the Shadow Presidency website avoids all this.

From there, you'll have access to a wide variety of resources which speak to you in lingo you can identify with. None of that official yakkity-yak, the stuff entirely devoid of emotion which you're likely going to hail down at Euroskop.cz.

Go head...partake of a grab-bag of technologies you already use:

** Get your daily dose of views from local opinion leaders -- people who haven't been invited to participate on the sycophantic EU Council Presidency team as persona non grata.

** Help to monitor the activities of the Czech government, ensuring that our elected leaders aren't damaging one of the select chances we'll have for a long while to shine, just when the spotlight is focussed on us, and only us.

** Get your views directly into the inboxes of EU Parliamentarians and Commissioners, who will finally realize how unique we actually are.

The Shadow Presidency website will run in parallel to the government's version. It will achieve high pass-through because you and your friends will like what it puts out there, and you'll tell your friends all about its existence. Moreover, it can be read in several languages, with fluid translations into English, French, and German. There will be none of that B-Class stuff over at CTK (no umbrage to CTK, but your budgetary shortfalls are slaying your English-language offerings!).

Where do you find this URL, you ask? Who's running this project? Well, that's for you, my friends, to decide. I offer this to you.

Someone out there should grab this one. Someone out there should seize the bull by the horns and show the planet just what this nation is made of.

Someone should really start to care.

Because if you're expecting Europe to do it for you, then we're really in more trouble than we thought.