On 22 October 2022, EPP regional and local leaders participated in the second plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe giving voice to the ideas of the 1.2 million local and regional elected politicians in Europe.
Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the EPP-CoR Group and President of West Pomerania Region said that the strong representation of the CoR at the Conference on the Future of Europe is a huge success for local and regional authorities but also a great responsibility to strengthen European democracy.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia (Greece) said "We are determined to make the voice of the people heard in this important debate that will impact the future of every citizen in every region, city and village all across Europe."
Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca said that Europe still faces several disparities in various fields including education, innovation and economic development and that this had an impact on the quality of life. In this regard he said "We need to emphasise the importance of cohesion policy that acts as a glue keeping Europe together."
Mark Speich, Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia and CIVEX Chair emphasised that the Conference on the Future of Europe had to also reflect the views of local and regional leaders "Together with the views of citizens, the contribution of local and regional authorities in the Conference on the Future of Europe is crucial."
Alexandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdansk and the CoR Rapporteur on the European Democracy Action plans spoke on the democratic deficit experienced in Europe. "Europe is facing a crisis of values, particularly in some countries and regions. This is something that we as the CoR want to address in the Conference on the Future of Europe."
The EPP team of regional and local delegates participated in the working groups and preparatory meetings preceding the discussions in the Conference Plenary starting on Saturday 23 September.
The EPP regional and local delegation to the Conference of the Future of Europe:
- Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions, Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia, Greece, President of the Association of Greek Regions,
- Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the EPP Group, President of West Pomerania Region, Poland, President of the Polish Association of Regions
- Jelena Drenjanin, 1st Vice-President of the EPP Group, Vice-Mayor of Huddinge, Sweden, Chair of the Governance Committee, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Council of Europe
- Mark Speich, Chair of the Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs, Secretary of State, North Rhine Westphalia Region, Germany
- Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of Madrid Region, Spain
- Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian State Parliament and CoR delegate on behalf of the Regional Parliaments of Germany
- Magnus Berntsson, Regional Minister of Västra Götaland, President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and Member of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), Sweden
- Emil Boc, Mayor of the City of Cluj-Napoca, President of the Romanian Association of Municipalities, Member of Council of the European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and Eurocities, Romania
- Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdansk, Executive President of the Council of European municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and Member of Eurocities, Poland
- Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of the City of Sofia, Executive President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and Member of Eurocities, Bulgaria
- Renaud Muselier, President of Region Sud, Vice President of Regions de France and Member of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), France