Bringing Europe closer to its people: Democracy and the future of the EU
One of the main priorities of the European Committee of the Regions
(CoR) for the period 2020-2025 is to bring Europe closer to its people, and
reinforce European democracy at all levels of government. It aims to improve
the way the European Union works, ensuring its policies and programmes meet the
real needs of citizens. Over the course of the current five-year mandate, CoR activities
will focus on engaging with regional and local politicians, improving the EU's
democratic architecture, and enhancing citizens' trust in their locally elected
representatives – in a nutshell, bringing the EU closer to people.
Conference on the Future of Europe
On 10 March 2021,
David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament,
António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, (President of the Rotating Presidency of the European Council) and
Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission signed the
Joint Declaration on the
Conference on the Future of Europe. This paves the way to launch a series of debates and discussions that will enable people from every corner of the European Union to share their ideas to help shape the future of the European Union.
The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR),
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, welcomed the Joint Declaration and its reference to the involvement of the regional parliaments and local authorities, as well as to the European Committee of the Regions in the overall process. He announced the organisation of
local dialogues directly with citizens or through regional and local actors on the ground, and confirmed that the CoR will be supported by a “
High-Level Group on European Democracy” under the chairmanship of the former Belgian Prime Minister and President of the European Council,
Herman Van Rompuy.
The CoR is committed to contribute to the Conference, and therefore
encourages its members, as well as other regional and local politicians (including young elected politicians ( YEPs)), to engage in this process and listen to citizens' opinions on the future of the EU. They can do so by co-hosting local dialogues with the CoR and invite citizens and civil society actors to discuss their visions and aspirations for the future of the EU. For more information on project proposals and application criteria, please check our
guide for organisers of local events, and fill in the
online application form at least three months prior to the event.