The Conference on the Future of Europe offered citizens across Europe the opportunity to express their views on what they want from the European Union and to give their opinions on future developments. It was officially launched on Europe Day, 9 May 2021.
It offered European citizens a new public space for an open, inclusive and transparent debate on Europe's priorities and challenges. All Europeans, stakeholders and civil society representatives were invited to express their expectations of the European Union. Contributions at European, national, regional and local level fed the debate on the future of Europe.
Aware of the importance of the European debate with the citizens, the Luxembourg Government gives its full support to this initiative, which continue the citizens' consultations that took place before the 2019 European elections.
After a year of debate and consultation, a closing event of the Conference on the Future of Europe took place on 9 May 2022 in Strasbourg. On this occasion, a final report containing the conclusions of the Conference (49 proposals around more than 320 concrete measures) was handed over to the Presidents of the three institutions (Commission, Council, and European Parliament).
Background
In a joint declaration signed on 10 March 2021, the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU invite all Europeans to participate in the Conference on the Future of Europe and to express themselves:
- on the direction they want the European Union to take;
- on policies in all areas;
- on their expectations of the Union.
The Conference on the Future of Europe was officially launched on Europe Day, 9 May 2021.
The Conference process
Throughout this process, citizens were able to submit their contributions on the digital and interactive platform of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The possibility to contribute on the Platform ended on 9 May 2022.
The digital platform gave citizens the opportunity to express themselves, to let people know what kind of Europe they want to live in and to help shape its future.
The platform also provided information on the structure and work of the conference. It was open to all Europeans, as well as to all EU institutions and bodies, national parliaments, national and local authorities, and civil society.
- Climate change and the environment;
- Health;
- A stronger economy, social justice and jobs;
- EU in the world;
- Values and rights, rule of law, security;
- Digital transformation;
- European democracy;
- Migration;
- Education, culture, youth and sport.
The platform has also listed the events that took place throughout Europe, either physically or online.
The key ideas and recommendations emerging from the platform served as input to the European citizens' panel discussions and the plenary sessions, where they were debated in order to produce the conference conclusions.
In addition to the multilingual digital platform, the Conference plenary, the European Citizens' Panels on four main themes and the national citizens' panels developed 178 recommendations, which formed the basis for the 49 proposals in the final report.
These proposals cover the nine main themes of the Conference, namely climate change and the environment; health; a stronger economy, social justice and employment; the EU in the world; values and rights, rule of law and security; digital transformation; European democracy; migration; education, culture, youth and sport.
Events
9 May 2021 - exchange in Schengen
On the occasion of Europe Day 2021, which also marked the start of the Conference on the Future of Europe, an exchange took place on the Place des Etoiles in front of the Schengen Museum between citizens, MEPs and European Commissioner Nicolas Schmit on the theme of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Citizens were invited to ask questions about the future of Europe and to make their voices heard.
21 June 2021 - trinational exchange with students
As part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, a tri-national discussion took place on 21 June 2021 at Institute Pierre Werner between the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, and the Minister Delegate for European Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Michael Roth, in the presence of the French Ambassador Bruno Perdu, who represented the Secretary of State Clément Beaune. The Ministers exchanged views with German, French and Luxembourg high school students present in the room. The discussion can be viewed online here.
15 November 2021 - Europe in 2030: Hackathon for young entrepreneurs
As part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, an exchange around the Digital Compass and the EU industrial strategy took place in the presence of Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton, the Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce Luc Frieden. Students and young entrepreneurs discussed their vision of Europe in 2030. Additional information can be found here.
18 November 2021 – Solidarity in the EU Member States
At a meeting with students of the European School Luxembourg and from several universities, the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, and MEPs Katarina Barley and Isabelle Wiseler exchanged views with them on the topic of European Solidarity. Additional information can be found here.
Campaign of the Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies launched a national campaign on 14 September 2021, which is based on different types of events. These events include:
- Four thematic panels in the Chamber of Deputies (growing inequality, economic competitiveness of the European Union, managing migration flows, and climate change);
- Discussions in cafés in the four constituencies (in Grevenmacher, Diekirch, Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette);
- The organization of an exchange of views between representatives from the Youth Parliament and the Chamber of Deputies on the future of Europe;
- The "parliament at home", an initiative that calls on citizens to organize discussions at home and pass on their conclusions to the Chamber of Deputies.
These events were an opportunity to exchange views on issues of interest to citizens, as well as on topics that particularly concern them, with a strong emphasis on a "bottom-up” approach.
In addition, on 26 September 2021, citizens were able to meet Luxembourgish and European Members of Parliaments during a cross-border bicycle tour. This first meeting was an opportunity to exchange views with them on the societal and cross-border challenges of the European Union.
More information, as well as the calendar of the planned events can be found here.
Results of the Conference
Several reports summarise the contributions that have been made on the platform.
The inter-institutional declaration foresees that the final conclusions of the Conference will be presented in a report to the joint Presidency. Thereafter, the three institutions will discuss the follow-up to this report.
In Luxembourg, the Chamber of Deputies also compiled the results of its consultation campaign in a report adopted on 1 March 2022.