By Manon Lagana
The Conference on the Future of Europe is one of the most important events affecting the European Institutions. The Conference allowed European citizens and beyond to become involved in the debate on what Europe they want to see, setting priorities. By creating a space for debate it allowed citizens to discuss current topics such as climate change and environment, digital transformation and human rights. It also built an ideal bridge between Europe and third countries.
The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique place where European citizens can debate on what they believe are the most relevant topics. During the annual conference sessions, individuals or organisations can be involved by participating directly in web conferences or attending in person at the plenary conference, or even organising online or hybrid events.Citizens across the EU and beyond, as well as civil society, social partners, and various other stakeholders, are allowed to participate in the Conference.Examples of topics covered by the Conference on the Future of Europe are climate change and the environment, health, values, rights, and rule of law, digital transformation, and migration.
The Conference on the Future of Europe has been developed at different levels: there are single events organised in the framework of the conference, like “Multilingual digital platform”, “Citizens’ Panels”, and the Conference Plenary.“Multilingual digital platform” was launched on 19 April 2021. It served as the main hub of the Conference.
The Citizens’ Panels are split into the European Citizen’s Panels and the National Citizens’ Panels, and in their turn grouped by themes. On the one hand, the European Citizens’ Panels bring together about 800 citizens across Europe from all backgrounds. The European Citizens’ Panels were the first transnational and multilingual experience of this scale and with this level of ambition. On the other hand, six Member States, including Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Lithuania and Netherlands have been organising National Citizens’ Panels composed by selected national citizens. The recommendations of National Citizens’ Panels are then presented and debated at the Conference Plenary.
But beyond citizens generally, the Conference also seeks to attract specific audiences, such as the youth! Europe Youth Event (EVE) is an event organised in the framework of the conference. The most recent EVE took place on 8-9 October 2021 and brought together, 10000 young people online and in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The Conference Plenary aims to debate the recommendations from the European Citizen’s Panels and the National Citizens’ Panels. In addition, the inputs of the Multilingual Digital Platform are part of the discussion.
On May 9th the Conference on the Future of Europe 2022 concluded its work in Strasbourg. The final report includes 49 proposals that are focused on the following 9 topics:
A stronger economy, social justice and jobs;
Education, culture, youth and sport;
Digital transformation;
European democracy;
Values and rights, rule of law, security;
Climate change, environment;
Health;
EU in the world;
Migration.
The report highlights relevant issues that probably could be addressed by European initiatives, or alternatively could be included in one of the next legislative proposals.
What do you think about the Conference on the Future of Europe? Were you involved? Would you like to be involved in it? We would love to know your opinion and thoughs! Comment below or reach out to us!
Manon Lagana. Manon Eleonora is a PhD student in Information Technology Law and Privacy Law at the University of Valencia (Spain). Previously, she earned a master’s degree in International Law and European Union at the University of Valencia and obtained a master’s degree in Law and the “Iuris Doctor” qualification at the University of Pisa (Italy). As part of the BridgeEurope blog team her goal is to update on European policies, legislations, or relevant facts involving the European institutions.
BridgeEurope Blog serves as a platform for reflection and discussion on current topics. The opinions expressed in the blog represent the view of the authors solely and not the view of BridgeEurope.