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The Conference plenary reached consensus on its final draft proposal at its last meeting. It took place in Strasbourg on Friday and Saturday. It now has 325 recommendations to achieve 49 objectives across 9 themes. These were based on 178 recommendations by the European Citizens Panels and input from the National Panels and events. There have been 43 734 contributions to 16 274 ideas that have been recorded on the multilingual digital portal.
Parliament’s decision
The Parliamentary delegation voted to support the Plenary draft proposals on Friday. The important role played by Parliament in the build-up to this moment was highlighted by MEPs, who ensured that citizens’ input would be kept at the heart of the proceedings throughout.
Five political groups, representing a large majority (EPP/S&D, Renew/EFA and The Left), agreed that the draft propositions are a significant political achievement. They also referred to the concrete achievements of Parliament in ensuring a democratic and effective process, such as the creation of the Working Groups that produced the Plenary draft proposals. The ID and ECR group MEPs argued that the proposals don’t reflect the EU’s public opinion and that they would not be supported by their groups.
Watch a video of the EP delegation debate.
Consensus in plenary, MEPs ready for Treaty revision
Friday’s session began with the presentation of proposals by the Chairs and citizen Spokespersons. Nearly all speakers agreed that these proposals are important reforms based upon citizens’ recommendations.
After the presentations, representatives from the four components of the Conference (Parliament Council Commission Commission and National Parliaments) voted unanimously for the proposals. The Conference Co-Chair Guy Verhofstadt spoke on behalf of Parliament’s delegation. He stated that the Conference will present a resolution to the Parliament’s 2-5th May plenary session in order to request a revision of Treaties. He stated that the Conference made him realize the importance of participative mechanisms that complement representative democracy. MEPs must work hard to make sure that the Conference’s recommendations are turned into the reforms the EU requires.
Watch Guy Verhofstadt speak on behalf of the Parliament’s delegation, or view a recording of MPs’ speeches in Plenary.
Citizens demand action
Citizens took to the floor Saturday morning to voice their opinions on the final proposals. They stressed that they expect the EU institutions and its member states to provide the necessary follow-up and not let citizens down in this historic moment. They discussed how their ideas developed through the Conference’s discussions and the impact Russia’s war on Ukraine on them.
You can watch a recording of the Plenary’s closing meeting.
Next steps
The final report from the Conference will be presented to the Presidents by the three Co-Chairs (Executive Board) at a ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Europe Day (9 May).
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