Several hundred citizens from across the continent began to meet in Strasbourg on Friday to reflect on the future of Europe as part of a vast and unprecedented consultation launched by the EU.

"You are writing history, this is the first time that European policy will be shaped not for citizens but with citizens", said, welcoming them in the hemicycle of the European Parliament (EP ) in Strasbourg, the Belgian liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt, co-president of this conference officially launched in the spring, with delay and a difficult start.

“This is the first time that the three institutions (the European Commission, the EP and the European Council, editor's note) have done something together.

»Some 800 citizens (and 200 in reserve in the event of defections) were selected in the 27 countries of the EU with the objective of a mixture of ages, professions and places of life (urban or rural area) .

Divided into four groups of 200 people working on four different themes, these citizens will meet three times from September to November, including the first time in Strasbourg for each of the groups.

7,300 ideas

These citizens' panels will start their discussions from proposals already made on the online platform of the Conference on the Future of Europe, available in 24 languages ​​(www.futureu.europa.eu). Since its launch in the spring, some 26,700 people have participated and 7,300 ideas have been suggested on various themes. The proposals on the ten-year future of the EU that will be drawn from this work are expected in spring 2022, in the full French presidency of the EU and shortly before the presidential election, while Emmanuel Macron intends to put Europe in the heart of its countryside.

“You have a great responsibility,” said Huy Verhofstadt. “I am sure that no politician after this conference (…) will still be able (to) deny the conclusions (…) That's the goal: to push Europe in the direction that people want by overcoming obstacles Added the former Belgian Prime Minister. 55-year-old Lyonnais Mohamed Chaib registered for this conference to "be able to give an opinion". "International politics interests me, so automatically, European politics interests me", explains this client advisor in the banking sector.

"The future of Europe interests me a lot", confides Neea Kuri, 21-year-old Finn from Kokkola (west).

Coming to Strasbourg, “I want to do something.

It's not much, but at least it's already that!

», Explains the young woman, currently unemployed.

On Wednesday, in her big annual speech on the State of the Union, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had hoped that young people "lead (s) the debates".

Young people are also over-represented in citizens' panels which are starting to meet since a third is between 16 and 25 years old.

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