Democracy International and the Citizens Take Over Europe alliance welcomes President Von der Leyen’s due reference to the Conference on the Future of Europe in her State of the Union address, but calls for greater transparency and citizen participation in the planning of the Conference.

The Conference on the Future of Europe was initially announced by Von der Leyen in advance of her appointment as Commission President as part of a ‘new push for European democracy’. However, in order to be effective, the Conference needs to involve citizens in the design of the Conference from the very beginning. The interinstitutional negotiations around the Conference are shrouded in secrecy, missing out on the expertise and experience of civil society practitioners in running participative processes, and not including citizens in setting the agenda or structure of the Conference. 

Including health competences in the agenda of the Conference is welcome, as the perspective of treaty change suggests, but the agenda must be broader and co-created with citizens from diverse backgrounds and experiences to reflect their priorities and build trust in a process which is about our common future. The transnational civil society coalition Citizens Take Over Europe has laid out 10 guiding principles for a citizens-centered Conference on the Future of Europe. 

See more here.