On Thursday, the leaders of Parliament’s political groups took stock of the ongoing preparatory work on the Conference on the Future of Europe with the co-chair of the Conference’s Executive Board and issued the following statement:

“We very much welcome the engagement of the Council and the Commission to establish together with the European Parliament the Conference on the Future of Europe as an important space for debate for the citizens to address Europe’s challenges and priorities. This is an opportunity for a broad debate on our future and needs to be carried out in a serious process.

We, the Conference of Presidents of Political Groups, want to strengthen the involvement of the national Parliaments as an important fourth pillar. Therefore, we call on the Conference Plenary to be adequately composed ensuring representation by all main stakeholders when it comes to the future of Europe, but also to have a final say about the outcome. This process would give the Conference the utmost legitimacy and effectiveness. We call for a Conference Plenary that is able to deliberate and make proposals, based on recommendations from the Citizens’ Panels.

We call on all members of the Executive Board to assume their responsibilities by defining the role and composition of the Conference Plenary. Given the delay in the start of the Conference due to the pandemic, we also ask that any conclusions presented in spring 2022 be preliminary and that the Conference be allowed to continue, if appropriate and consensual.”