At a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, Member States gave the green light to launch the Conference on the Future of Europe, a European platform aimed at giving voice to every citizen to meet the internal and external challenges facing the Union. According to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, the event should focus on “the wishes and fears of citizens” and help breathe new life into the European Union. In a document published following the meeting of ambassadors, the three institutions that will lead this conference, the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament, are giving themselves until December 2022 to produce a report that will be presented to European heads of government.
The Union of European Federalists welcomes the desire to give the floor to European citizens to relaunch our common project, but is concerned that the structure and organization of this Conference do not guarantee that the opinion of citizens at the end of the consultation process. Indeed, the report which will be submitted to the heads of government is not binding, which seriously undermines the objective of giving new democratic impetus to the Union. Heads of government could choose to ignore the concerns expressed by citizens as was the case for the 2018 citizens’ consultations.
Moreover, while the aim of this Conference is also to respond to the new challenges which have appeared since the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, the Council refused to open the possibility of a revision of the Treaties. This provision considerably reduces the very ambition of this Conference, effectively prohibiting any structural change, while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to underline the urgent need for a genuine Europe of health and the question of autonomy. Union strategy is becoming increasingly evident, for example.
Finally, the UEF wonders about the measures that will be taken to bring the debate to life as close as possible to the citizens of the European Union, especially in the context of the pandemic which continues to prevent gatherings capable of allow exchanges and co-construction. If the use of digital tools offers citizens the opportunity to participate in this democratic impetus, it is obvious that it is necessary to organize citizens’ agoras at the different local, regional, national and European levels, guaranteeing participation of the greatest number.
The Union of European Federalists will continue to campaign for the opening of the Conference on the Future of Europe to a revision of the Treaties and a constitutional and federal perspective, the only means of achieving a powerful, resolutely democratic and sustainable Europe. listening to its citizens. This conference must be given the means to achieve its democratic ambition in order to allow European citizens to breathe new life into the Union.
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