(14 January 2020) – From May onwards, hundreds of EU citizens will be invited to reflect on Europe’s future at a conference that will debate European policy priorities in an attempt to introduce direct democracy in EU decision-making.
After a heated debate between the leaders of the different political groups in the European Parliament, Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt of the centrist Renew Europe Group finally won his case. He will be chairing the Conference on the Future of Europe.
A European Parliament resolution due to be debated on Wednesday (15 January) promises to open the Conference on the Future of Europe, envisaged to last two years, on 9 May 2020.
According to the resolution presented to the Parliament, each thematic citizen’s agora on the separate policy priorities will comprise 200 to 300 citizens (representative in terms of age, gender, social origin and level of education), with a minimum of three per member state. Youth agoras will also be organised during the debate and at the end of the conference.
The Conference for the Future of Europe will assemble 2,000 people because in addition to the citizens, representatives of all the European institutions, as well as the national parliaments, will also be present. (EurActiv)