MRF / Renew Europe MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk hosted the online conference: EUROPE OF CITIZENS: THE CONFERENCE FOR THE FUTURE OF EUROPE. The relevance of the topic is determined by the recent launch of the digital platform for the Conference for the Future of Europe and the opportunity for all citizens to participate in the decision-making process. Politicians, researchers, experts and representatives of youth organizations took part in the online forum.
“European citizens want more Europe in health policy. All the crises so far, including the Covid crisis, have shown us that it is time for Europe to start making political decisions together to meet the challenges. The Conference for the Future of Europe is important because, in times of change, it gives Europeans the opportunity to express their expectations of the European Union in order to adapt it to the future. This conversation will be led by citizens, from every corner, from different points of view. The idea of representative democracy will not be replaced, on the contrary – it will be strengthened. We all have a commitment to tell Europe about both its achievements and its challenges, ” said Ilhan Kyuchyuk at the opening of the forum.
The Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica and Guy Verhofstadt, Co-Chair of the Executive Board of the Conference for the Future of Europe, also took part in the event, organized by the Bulgarian MEP. Both agree that in the Conference, citizens must be at the core, be participants, not objects. For the first time since the creation of the EU, the three institutions are working together on such an initiative. It is necessary to find a new way forward, because the world is different and the mechanisms of democracy and decision-making must be in line with the new times.
The event was also attended by representatives of youth organizations, including the president of LYMEC – Antoaneta Assenova.
“The future of the European project depends on us – young people. We want bold and firm decisions because young people are ambitious and want change. Over the last year, we have successfully worked on our proposals for reforming the institutions. We have high expectations and we believe that the Conference will live up to them. We need an engine because people are afraid of the new world, but sometimes they regret the missed opportunities, ” said Antoaneta Assenova.
The online forum aroused great interest among the audience not only in Bulgaria but throughout the EU. First, because it was in 3 languages, and as the event is registered on a special online platform of the Conference for the Future of Europe and the audience had the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.
Тази публикация е достъпна и на следните езици: Bulgarian