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09 May 2021 The

Conference on the Future of Europe

officially starts today with an inaugural ceremony in Strasbourg, France

.  



The inauguration is held on the day of

Europe Day in the

hemicycle of the

European

Parliament, reopened in the Alsatian headquarters after the pandemic had forced the sessions to be moved to Brussels from February 2020. 



Meetings and debates on various topics (environment and climate, health, economy and work, etc.) have been taking place for some time (the agenda is available on the multilingual platform futureeu.europa.eu).



The President of the Parliament, David Sassoli, the French President Emmanuel Macron, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa for the EU Council participate in the inauguration.



"Europe belongs to everyone. But for this to be really like this, we must have the courage to change", said in a tweet 

the president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli

, who will give a speech today at the opening of the Conference on the future of Europe.



The major consultation with debates and discussions initiated on citizens' initiative will allow everyone in Europe to share their ideas and help shape the common future.



The inauguration is held on the day of Europe Day in the hemicycle of the European Parliament, reopened in the Alsatian seat after the pandemic had forced the


sessions to be

moved

to Brussels

from February 2020

.



As

the leader of the EPP, Manfred Weber

,

says

, "after 10 years of crisis management, in Europe we must finally regain control of the agenda".



"If Brussels is the office capital of Europe, Strasbourg is the capital of its soul and heart: where we defend our values", noted

French President Emmanuel Macron

, in an interview with Dernières nouvelles d'Alsace. "At a time when our values ​​are attacked, threatened within Europe, remembering that Strasbourg is the capital of European democratic rights and our values ​​is essential. And the place of the European Parliament is in this vibrant heart of values. ", underlined the owner of the Elysée.



"# 9maggio Born to bury wars, it has created a model of social economy, has overcome dictatorships and overcome tensions and difficulties. Today it is driving the recovery from the pandemic towards a sustainable economy. Long live the European Union". So on Twitter

the European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni

on the day of Europe Day.