Future of Europe Conference: signing of Joint Declaration tomorrow. Eurobarometer, “citizens ready to get involved”

On the eve of the formal signing of the Joint Declaration agreed between Parliament, Commission and Council, which outlines the ground rules for the Conference on the Future of Europe, a Eurobarometer survey conducted by Parliament and Commission today shows that 92% of respondents call for decisions on the future of Europe to take greater account of citizens’ voices. 51% would like to get involved themselves: the most enthusiastic are the Irish (81%), followed by Belgians (64%), but also in Luxembourg (63%) and Slovenia (63%) many people are willing to get actively involved (the figure for Italy is 59%). 25% totally agree that the Conference on the Future of Europe will have a positive impact on democracy in the EU; 51% tend to agree with this. Another keyword is inclusiveness: there is a need to actively involve people from all backgrounds (51%), young people (47%) national governments (42%), academics, experts, intellectuals and scientists (40%). According to the Italian respondents, participation of governments and young people should be prioritised; although 46% of them believe that the Conference will not change anything. As for the most desired developments for the future of Europe, respondents cited comparable living standards (35%) and stronger solidarity among Member States (30%), a common health policy (25%) and comparable education standards (22%). As for the global challenges, the most cited were climate change (45%), terrorism (38%), health risks (37%), and migration (27%).

Sarah Numico