Press releases & Statements

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.

Does your civil society organisation want to co-sign this letter? Fill out this form by Wednesday, 19 January, 17:00 CET. The letter will be sent to the members of the Executive Board on Thursday morning, 20 January. 

How could citizens be involved constantly in the European Union’s decisions making beyond elections?

We, the Palermo Transnational Assembly - are people coming together following 20 local assemblies in all corners of Europe - acknowledge the mounting impacts climate change has on our lives and the biodiversity on our planet.

The Conference on the Conference of Europe promised to deliver on a grand vision for the European Union, and now it risks failing. The only body that can legitimately take action is the Conference Plenary, and it must decide to set the agenda and decide on outcomes for the Conference to succeed.

The oppression experienced by many marginalised communities, which lies at the root of many of Europe’s pressing social and political problems, should not be exacerbated in a free and democratic exercise overseen by EU leadership.

Tourists are flying into space and life on Mars seems a less distant possibility. Meanwhile Europeans are busy trying to create a buzz about our future here on earth.