Conference on the Future of Europe. First step, a digital platform on line as from April 19th. A place for debate and the citizens’ voice

Two dates: April 19th and May 9th. These are the first steps, penned into the calendar, for the opening of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which may have to reshape some traits of the EU’s profile in order to update its goals, powers and purposes, thus making it – at least this is the intention – more effective and closer to citizens. In yesterday’s meeting, the newly-established Executive Committee continued the preparations for the opening of the Conference by approving a multilingual digital platform that “will enable citizens all over the EU to make a contribution to the Conference”. Such platform will be operative on April 19th. In addition, it “agreed on its working methods and the preparations well under way for the opening event on Europe Day”, due on May 9th. Through such new multilingual digital platform, citizens all over Europe – as explained by the European Parliament in a notice – will have the opportunity to explain their point of view about any topic they deem important for the future of the European Union. This will enable citizens to put forward their ideas, to comment other people’s ideas, and create and take part in events”. The platform “will be the fulcrum of the Conference, a place in which all contributions will be gathered together and shared, including the decentralised events, the European citizens’ groups and the plenary sessions of the Conference”. A feedback mechanism “will aggregate and analyse the key issues that have been raised, so that they can be taken into account by the European citizens’ panels and the plenary sessions of the Conference as well”.
Valentina Bombelli