The Conference on the Future of Europe is at a crossroads. The decisive question is: will the Conference Plenary be able and willing to take charge of this Conference, develop a parliament-like dynamic and include perspectives previously excluded, or will it remain an exclusionary political talking shop and risk enabling the extreme right? Write Daniela Vancic and Maarten de Groot

The best way to ensure transparency and accountability in Conference Plenary decision-making is by adopting the ‘European Parliament method’.

The following article presents an answer to this question by making a concrete proposal for a working procedure for the Conference Plenary and its Working Groups. The proposal builds on and is in line with the Joint Declaration and the Conference Rules of Procedure.

In order for the Citizens’ Panels and the Conference as a whole to deliver meaningful change forward, instead of backward, the perspectives of those most affected - such as people with migration experiences - need to be at the very centre of the deliberative process, both as experts and as participants.