STRASBOURG – Member of the European Parliament Vladimir Bilčik (EPP) stated today during the plenary session that the EU should engage the representatives of the candidate countries in the Conference on the Future of Europe.
“I believe we should engage all of those in the EU candidate countries who are ready to work with us, who are ready to join us. This is an opportunity to make this a conference on Europe’s future and a stronger Europe in the world”, said Bilčik, who is a Standing Rapporteur for Serbia and Co-Chair of the Stabilisation and Association Committee with Montenegro.
He also said that this conference should bring results when it comes to our institutions and decision-making and that he hopes that the Conference carries the emotion, the same one seen in the run-up to the EU elections 2019, when the turnout increased in unprecedented numbers.
“We need to carry this emotion, to carry the increasing trust of our citizens in Europe’s future, through their participation in this conference. This is essential”, Bilčik emphasised.
Last month, the European Council considered the idea of a Conference on the Future of Europe starting in 2020 and ending in 2022. It asked the Croatian Council Presidency to work towards defining a Council position on the content, scope, composition and functioning of such a conference and to engage, on this basis, with the European Parliament and the Commission.
European Parliament holds a debate on its position towards the Conference today.