EPP local and regional team was present in the European Parliament for the feedback event of the Conference on the Future of Europe with citizens to continue the dialogue and demonstrate how local and regional authorities deliver concretely on their demands through initiatives and policies with specific territorial impact.
Olgierd Geblewicz, President of EPP-CoR and President of Westpomerania Region said that "local and regional politicians are following-up on the recommendations of EU citizens after the Conference on the Future of Europe. We are closest to our citizens and delivering concrete projects that have an immediate impact on the citizens lives. We are already delivering on the recommendations of the Conference through developing programmes for greener cities and regions such as the Green Deal Going Local initiative, strengthening EU democracy with the network of EU local councillors as well as contributing to the reconstruction of Ukraine with the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. Only by working together with citizens and in cooperation between regional and local, national and European level we can have a better and stronger EU democracy."
Achieving progress and delivering change rely on the closeness of regions and cities to citizens and their strong commitment to European values of democracy, equality, freedom and rule of law. Therefore, European democracy needs to be organised based on the three-dimensional democracy model that involves, with a meaningful, effective and legitimate contribution of the local and regional levels in cooperation with the national and European levels, in full respect of the principle of subsidiarity and proportionality.
Jelena Drenjanin, EPP-CoR 1st Vice-President and Deputy Mayor of Huddinge highlighted the importance of engaging actively the EU citizens in the democratic process: ''I welcome the fact that after the CoFE, the citizens' panels will become a permanent feature of EU democracy. Many of the conclusions of the Conference have regional and local dimension and therefore our engagement in those panels will be key for understanding, delivering and strengthening the link between the EU and the citizens. ''
A territorial anchoring should be ensured in the development and implementation of the new European citizens' panels as part of the EU policy-making, building on the experience of the Conference but also relying on successful methodologies and practices of citizens' participation already experienced in the EU's regions and cities.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, CoR 1st Vice-President and Governor of Central Macedonia Region said that: "We welcome the decision to systematically schedule citizens' panels as a tool for participatory democracy: we call on the European Commission to organise once a year a number of citizens' panels in city halls or regional parliaments in order to encourage a dialogue on European matters having territorial impact, and we stand ready to offer the support of the CoR to that end."
Mark Speich, Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs and Media (North Rhine-Westphalia) said that: If the EU wants to deliver on the conclusions of the CoFE, regional and local authorities and the CoR should become the main counterpart and source of experience and expertise for the EU institutions on policy proposals with a territorial impact. This should be also kept in mind when the new citizens' panels are prepared.''
Local and regional authorities stand ready, through mayors and regional leaders, to help the EU institutions to make the voice of the Conference heard on the ground, in order to maximise the citizens' effort for strengthening European democracy: this is urgently needed.