Open Letter to Conference Chairs: a successful Conference needs an accountable Conference Plenary!

2022 Feb 9th

 

Dear Co-Chairs and Working Group Chairs of the Conference on the Future of Europe,

 

According to the Joint Declaration, “the Conference is based on inclusiveness, openness, and transparency” (emphasis added). Additionally, the Rules of Procedure stipulate that “the Plenary will on a consensual basis put forward its proposals to the Executive Board,” specifying that “consensus has to be found at least between the representatives of the European Parliament, the Council, the European Commission, as well as representatives from national Parliaments, on an equal footing”[1]. With this letter, we call on you to define and articulate a working procedure for the Conference Plenary and its Working Groups that ensures that both the Joint Declaration and the Rules of Procedure can be respected, notably with regard to transparency.

The Plenary is the Conference body that deliberates on the basis of all the Conference inputs with the purpose of developing a single set of EU reform proposals that can count on broad political and public support. In order to ensure that the Conference Plenary can live up to its task, as set out in the Joint Declaration and the Rules of Procedure, it needs a clearly defined working procedure. During the last Conference Plenary session on 21-22 January, several Co-Chairs/Working Group Chairs suggested elements of the process that may lead to the ultimate agreement on Conference Plenary proposals. However, until now, there is no clarity on how the Working Groups and Conference Plenary will develop final proposals for the Conference, let alone any guarantee that this will be done in a transparent and accountable manner.

This lack of clarity poses a great risk for the Conference. In the absence of a clearly defined, public process leading to Conference outcomes, the political divisions that explain why certain recommendations are integrated in the final set of Conference proposals, and others not, will remain opaque to the public. This is a recipe for disappointment.

The best way to ensure transparency and accountability in Conference Plenary decision-making is by adopting the ‘European Parliament method’. The European Parliament is one of the most transparent and accountable parliaments in the world: not only are Committee and Plenary meetings webstreamed, also (pretty much) all political positions of the European Parliament are the result of a clearly structured public voting process, allowing the European electorate to monitor the actions of individual MEPs at every step of the decision-making process.

In order to make sure that the Conference Plenary can live up to the same transparency standards as the European Parliament, we call on you to agree on and communicate a working procedure for the Conference Plenary and its Working Groups which ensures that the ultimate Conference outcomes are the product of a public process of voting involving all Conference Plenary members, while simultaneously respecting the need for consensus among the four institutional components of the Conference Plenary[2].

We count on you to do what is necessary to make this Conference a success!

Sincerely,

 

46 Conference Plenary members & 83 civil society organisations (full list below)

 

Footnotes:

[1] See page 4 of the Joint Declaration and page 8 of the Rules of Procedure, both of which can be accessed via this webpage

[2] For a proposal on how to design such a working procedure in accordance with the Joint Declaration and the Rules of Procedure, see this 6-step plan.

 

List of 46 Conference Plenary members co-signing this letter:

Alexandrina Najmowicz, representative civil society

Alice Mary Higgins, representative national parliament Ireland

Alin Mituța, representative European Parliament (Renew)

Andreas Schieder, representative European Parliament (S&D)

Brando Benifei, representative European Parliament (S&D)

Carles Puigdemont, representative European Parliament (NI)

Chiara Alicandro, representative European Citizens’ Panel 2

Christian Moos, representative Economic and Social Committee

Claudia Gamon, representative European Parliament (Renew)

Damian Boeselager, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Daniel Freund, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Danuta Hübner, representative European Parliament (EPP)

Dimitrios Papadimoulis, representative European Parliament (The Left)

Doménec Ruiz Devesa, representative European Parliament (S&D)

Dorin Hell, representative European Citizens’ Panel 3

Eleonora Evi, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Elisa Gambardella, representative civil society

Eva Maydell, representative European Parliament (EPP)

Fabio Massimo Castaldo, representative European Parliament (NI)

Gabriela Cretu, representative national parliament Romania

Hajnalka Kozmáné Gombkötő, representative European Citizens’ Panel 2

Helmut Scholz, representative European Parliament (The Left)

Hubregt Verhoeven, representative European Citizens’ Panel 4

Ivo Raso, representative European Citizens’ Panel 3

Jordi Solé i Ferrando, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Julia Eichberger, representative European Citizens’ Panel 4

Laura Maria Cinquini, representative European Citizens’ Panel 4

Lucía Muñoz Dalda, representative national parliament Spain

Manuela Bora, representative regional authorities

María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop, representative European Parliament (The Left)

Marketa Gregorova, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Monika Vana, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Nik Prebil, representative national parliament Slovenia

Niklas Nienaß, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Nora Mebarek, representative European Parliament (S&D)

Olga Baum, representative European Citizens’ Panel 2

Pascal Durand, representative European Parliament (Renew)

Patrizia Heidegger, representative civil society

Pernando Barrena, representative European Parliament (The Left)

Péter Csákai-Szőke, representative European Citizens’ Panel 4

Salima Yenbou, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

Sandro Gozi, representative European Parliament (Renew)

Stephanie Hartung, representative National Citizens’ Panel and/or Conference events Germany

Valentina Balzani, representative European Citizens’ Panel 2

Vasco Fernandes, representative European Citizens’ Panel 1

Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, representative European Parliament (Greens/EFA)

 

List of 83 civil society organisations co-signing this letter:

#DiasporaVote!

Agora Europa

Alliance ELIANT

Alliance4Europe

Allianz für WERTEorientierte Demokratie (AllWeDo)

Alpe Adria Green international

Another Europe

Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN)

BIL:Armenia

Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law

Citizens for Europe

Citizens Take Over Europe

CIVICO Europa

Civil Society Development Foundation (Romania)

Civil Society Europe

Compassion in World Farming EU

Culture Action Europe

Danubiana Network

Debating Europe

Democracy International

Deutscher Esperanto-Bund e.V.

ECIT Foundation 

ENAR – European Network Against Racism

Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice

ERGO network

Eumans – citizens for democracy and sustainability 

Europa-Union Deutschland e.V.

Europe for Scotland

European Alternatives

European Center for Human Rights

European Center for Not-for-profit Law Stichting (ECNL)

European Civic Forum

European Democracy Lab

European Environmental Bureau

European Esperanto Union

European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless

European House

European Movement Italy

European Network on Religion & Belief

European Youth Forum

FEMYSO (Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations)

Fix The Status Quo

Friends of the European Republic

Gong

Greek Forum of Refugees

IGO – Interessenvertretung Gemeinnütziger Organisationen

Initiative for Development and Cooperation 

InnovActive Center for Social Improvement

Institute for integral Studies

Institute of Public Affairs (Poland)

Instituut Maatschappelijke Innovatie

KISA – Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism 

Ligue de l’enseignement

Meer Democratie

Mehr Demokratie e.V.

mehr demokratie! Österreich

Music Theatre International

Netwerk Democratie

New Europeans International

Newham African and Caribbean Network

Open Government Association (OGAI)

Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa / Centro per la Cooperazione Internazionale

Più Democrazia Italia

Politics for Tomorrow / nextlearning e. V.

Pro-Europa Netzwerk e.V.

Pulse of Europe

Pulse of Europe Bonn

Pulse of Europe Munich, Germany

Pulse of Europe Rosenheim

Regional Roma Educational Youth Association – RROMA 

SOLIDAR

Stand Up for Europe

Take a Break from Brexit

TGEU

The ECI Campaign

The Good Lobby

Transparency International EU

Tutti Europa ventitrenta

Unconditional Basic Income Europe

Understanding Europe 

Vereniging Democratisch Europa (Amsterdam)

WeMove Europe

Young European Federalists (JEF)

 

This letter was sent to the Conference Co-Chairs and Working Group Chairs on Thursday, 17 February 2022, on behalf of 46 Conference Plenary members and 83 civil society organisations. If other Plenary members or organisations still wish to express their support for the letter and stay updated about follow-up actions, they can do so by filling out this form. For any questions, please contact info@citizenstakeover.eu.