Input from the European Movement
International
Since the idea of the Conference was first aired, the European
Movement International has been engaging with senior policy-makers in
the Commission, the Parliament and at the national level, calling for
the Conference on the Future of Europe to be an extroverted, inclusive
and transparent exercise, that will work towards a more effective,
efficient and democratic Union that delivers for its citizens. As we
argue in our recommendations for how to make the Conference on the Future of Europe
meaningful, we believe that the Conference should strengthen
parliamentarianism and representative democracy by involving
stakeholders and by engaging citizens and providing them with a
platform to voice their opinions.
The European Parliament, as the EU institution directly elected by
the citizens, should play a leading role in organising the Conference,
strengthened by the backing of the European Commission, the Council
and national governments, and other EU institutions and agencies as
well as national parliaments and local authorities. We have also
consistently argued that civil society organisations should be
intimately involved in the preparation, delivery and follow-up of the
Conference.
Concerning our key but non-exhaustive priority issues, we advocate
for an innovation of the European political system that will
strengthen democracy and the elections of the European Parliament, as
elaborated in our policy position on “European Electoral Reform.” Furthermore, we
support the “Spitzenkandidat” process and the establishment of
transnational lists in view of the European elections in 2024; the
creation of an effective system for the defence of human rights and
rule of law in the EU; the fight against the environmental challenges
and the climate crisis; the implementation of the European Pillar of
Social Rights and the development of a fully-fledged European Defence
Union (EDU).
