"I believe that the Conference on the Future of Europe is an important opportunity to strengthen European democracy through villages, cities and regions. EPP-CoR members will play an important role in this democratic exercise – by organising dialogues with citizens and providing concrete proposals, therefore they have to be strongly engaged throughout the whole Conference." Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the EPP CoR Group and President of the Western Pomerania Region made these remarks during an online EPP-CoR Bureau meeting which discussed the role of villages, cities and regions and that of CoR members in the Conference.
Mark Speich, Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs for the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia and CIVEX Chair said “The CoR and the CIVEX Commission, which I chair, have demonstrated a firm intention to be leading factors in the debates on the Future of Europe. The EPP-CoR Group has been fully supportive of this effort. I welcome President Tzitzikostas’ proposals on the Rules of Procedure of the Conference: to increase the number of seats for the CoR representatives in the Conference Plenary and to include an adequate number of representatives of regional and local parliaments and councils in the Conference Plenary.”
Franck Proust, President of Nîmes Métropole said "The Conference on the Future of Europe, if well-run will bring citizens closer to Europe. However, we must be careful that it does not become an empty shell or a time-consuming exercise without concrete results. The CoR must be the institution of pragmatism".
Markku Markkula, Chair of the Espoo City Board and President of the Helsinki Region said that the Conference on the Future of Europe needs to be pragmatic and address key topics including EU Research and Innovation Missions to show the concrete European added value. He also referred to the need of high quality joint knowledge and measures, such as tackling climate change and to ensure clean water in oceans and inland, which show why Europe is so essential. “We also need to talk on what is the new normal after COVID-19 as well as how we can renew our practices and processes in Europe to be more innovative, competitive and improve the quality of life.” concluded Markkula.
Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca reminded that once Europeans fought against each other but now they work together due to a common dream. He said that the Conference on the Future of Europe needs to define what should be the next European dream, which can inspire and bring all European together.