The 1st of July event will be a moment also to discuss how we can design this assembly together and make it happen.
The event is planned at the occasion of the beginning of the German EU presidency.
While the institutions are still remaining silent about the Conference on the Future of Europe, the CTOE coalition advocates that citizens and residents of Europe should be at the center of the debate.
Among the different requests which CTOE intend to present to the German Presidency, the following 3 demands will be included in the open letter that will be discussed during the digital event:
- – Urgently commit to a timetable for the Conference on the Future of Europe, and engage civil society to co-design the Conference’s format
- – Put citizens centre-stage at all phases of the Conference, firmly anchor civil society’s role in the Conference’s structure, and use randomly selected citizens’ assemblies to achieve representation of less-represented groups.
- – Pledge to follow-up to any significant reforms recommended by the Conference, including the possibility of treaty change.
“This open letter is our civil society response to the delayed and uncertain Conference on the Future of Europe, which was promised to us by EU Commission President Von Der Leyen last year. With this open letter, we want to say: EU German Presidency, make it a priority to work together with the citizens, civil society, and other institutions so that a citizens-focused Conference on the Future of Europe can come to life. The outcomes of the Conference must be followed-up politically if it is to be a democratically legitimate process.” (Daniela Vancic, Democracy International – CTOE member, together with many other organizations*)
The politically independent CTOE coalition was formed in April 2020 with the objective of taking the lead in initiating a Citizens’ Conference on the Future of Europe to be organised with the support of citizens and civil society from all across Europe. On May 9th, CTOE kicked off its coalition with an online festival packed with sessions on the future of democracy and solidarity during the Covid-19 crisis. The online marathon attracted more than 45,000 viewers on Facebook Live, and it was covered by numerous media outlets across Europe.
Just prior to the 9th of May first public event organized by CTOE, the coalition published its provisional plans and timeline for organising this Citizens’ Conference on the Future of Europe over the course of the next few years.
To attend the 1st July event please register here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/663312394223484
The event will be hosted on Zoom and broadcast on Facebook.
To get more information on CTOE and to participate in the coalition’s activities:
*The Citizens Take Over Europe alliance is continuously expanding group of civil society organisations, currently consisting of: Alliance4Europe, Another Europe is Possible, CIVICO Europa, Democracy International, EUMans, European Alternatives, European Democracy Lab, European Civic Forum, European House, Eurotopia, Mehr Demokratie e.V., Music Theater International, New Europeans, Pulse of Europe, Take a Break from Brexit, The ECI Initiative, The Good Lobby, WeMove Europe.