International reporting
Conference on the future of Europe: what Europe do citizens want?
Audio 02:30
View of the flags of the 27 members of the European Union at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, October 19, 2021. © Ronald Wittek / AFP
By: Angelique Ferat
2 mins
After a year of work, citizens from the 27 countries of the European Union are submitting this Monday, May 9 in Strasbourg their 150 proposals to the Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council for a more united, more powerful and more enterprising Europe.
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Initially, they were 800 citizens chosen by a polling institute in the 27 European countries.
There were also national panels like in France.
All profiles were represented, men, women, young, retired, active.
All had to answer one question: what Europe do you want?
When contacted by telephone, Mustapha Rahaoui, a resident of Dunkirk, believed it was a joke.
He knows nothing about Europe and does not vote.
But what emotion to find oneself in the hemicycle where the 705 MEPs meet.
"
It's extremely impressive,
" he says.
Me, when I came yesterday and I saw all that, we say to ourselves that we are going to be a small active member of something that could be a date.
For me, Europe is still a fuzzy idea.
»
Divided into themes, such as democracy, education or the environment, these citizens discussed and battled.
And Billy, from Dijon, had the impression of touching Europe with his finger.
“
What I have noticed is that there are common points in the themes dear to the citizens of the same countries.
Our Greek colleagues spoke much less about environmental protection than the French, for example.
»
“What we do is concrete, it really has a goal”
Halfway through, 80 citizen ambassadors were drawn to defend their ideas before Parliament, the Commission and the ministers of the 27 countries.
At each meeting, we debate and the proposals are refined.
“
So far, it's also been the experience that has been incredible.
All my friends never understand what I'm doing here.
I'm on the plane every two weeks.
At the beginning, I was not more interested there, honestly,
admits Inès Gamy, student in Lyon and ambassador of the education panel
.
I was there to be there.
I was contacted, I came.
But here, I really see that what we are doing is concrete, it really has a goal.
»
Gisèle Magnery is more critical.
This 74-year-old Belgian retiree lives near Namur.
She threw herself into this challenge, however, with enthusiasm.
“
We have no contact with politicians or very little.
When they need us to vote, they know where to find us, so they can also come and find us in the process we are doing here
, ”she criticizes.
The European institutions launched this conference, they promised to listen to the citizens.
But the Europe they dream of is a Europe that requires reforming the treaties that bind the 27 member countries.
Will the three institutions follow?
On Wednesday 3 May, the European Parliament adopted a resolution asking the Commission to revise the founding texts of the EU.
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