Conference on the Future of Europe: Fourth European Citizens’ Panel to focus on Europe in the world

The fourth European Citizens’ Panel of the Conference on the Future of Europe will take place in Strasbourg this weekend (15-17 October). This time, 200 citizens, a third of whom are under 25 years, will discuss the role of the EU in the world, including objectives and strategies for the EU’s security, defence, trade policy, humanitarian aid and development cooperation, as well as foreign policy, neighbourhood policy and EU enlargement. The panellists will also debate on migration. Vice-President for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica, as Co-chair of the Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe, will welcome the citizens before they begin their deliberations. European Citizens’ Panels are a key feature of the Conference, co-organised by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. The Panels offer Europeans a central role in shaping the future of the EU, and giving them a unique opportunity to debate the challenges facing Europe, and its priorities. Panel deliberations take into account the contributions collected from across Europe on the Multilingual Digital Platform. For more information on how to follow this weekend’s Panel, see here. The first European Citizens’ Panel took place from 17-19 September in Strasbourg, followed by a second on 24-26 September and a third on 1-3 October. At each meeting, close to 200 citizens from across the Member States debated topics within their respective Panel’s remit. The first panel focused on: a stronger economy, social justice, jobs/education, youth, culture, sport/digital transformation. The second panel focused on: European democracy/values and rights, the rule of law, and security. The third panel related to the effects of climate change, environmental issues and new health challenges for the European Union. From September 2021 to January 2022, four panels, each comprising around 200 citizens, reflecting the EU’s demographic and social diversity will deliberate and make concrete recommendations on the future direction they want for Europe. 20 citizens from among the panellists will represent each Panel in the Plenary to present their recommendations and discuss them with the other participants. More information on the European Citizens’ Panels here.