(Brussels) An event in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik may well mark the beginning of the Conference on the Future of Europe on 9 May. This is what the European Commission (pictured) will propose in a “communication” entitled “Shaping the Conference on the Future of Europe”, to be released on Wednesday, 22 January, and previewed by SIR news agency. The document contains the proposal that the Commission, chaired by Ursula von der Leyen, will submit to Parliament and the European Council ahead of the start of the Conference, which should last two years and should listen to citizens in order to rethink – when relevant and possible – the EU policies and institutions. The city of Dubrovnik should be chosen as a venue within the context of the Croatian presidency of the Council of the EU. “This year will mark the 70^th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration and the 75^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Since the launch of the Conference coincides with the rotating presidency of the EU Council in Croatia, the kick-off event could take place in Dubrovnik”, the text reads. Under each six-month presidency of the Council, an event could then be held in a symbolic place, outside the capitals, so as to stress the Conference’s “local” and “inclusive” approach to citizens. The results and the recommendations that emerge from the various discussions should be presented in the first half of 2022, under the French Presidency of the Council, before deciding how to proceed to relaunch the EU.