La delegación del Comité Europeo de las Regiones (CDR) en la Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa se reunió esta semana para preparar su contribución a la sesión inaugural del pleno de la Conferencia sobre el Futuro de Europa , que se celebrará el 19 de junio en Estrasburgo. Los miembros de la delegación desean aprovechar la oportunidad que brinda la Conferencia para reforzar la dimensión democrática de la Unión Europea y restablecer la confianza de la ciudadanía en el proyecto europeo. El CDR, como órgano de la UE representativo del nivel de gobierno más cercano a la ciudadanía, se compromete a aportar a la Conferencia las voces de los entes locales y regionales.

The Union of Equality builds on local communities' work on the ground: this is the key message that members of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) stressed today in a debate with European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli. Local and regional politicians from across Europe welcomed the inclusion of an equality perspective into all EU policies, legislation and funding programmes.

António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, and European Parliament President, David Sassoli, will attend on 5 May the CoR Plenary session to discuss social Europe and the upcoming Conference on the future of Europe. On 6 May regional and local leaders will discuss with Commissioner Helena Dalli how to strengthen a Europe of equality. On 7 May a debate on the recovery in the hotel and catering sector will take place with Jens Zimmer Christensen, President of the HOTREC Association, the umbrella association of hotels, restaurants and cafés in Europe. On 7 May Herman Van Rompuy, former President of the European Council, will discuss with regional and local authorities the CoR contribution to the Conference on the Future of Europe, in his capacity as chairman of the High-Level Group on European Democracy recently created by the CoR.

Local and regional decision-makers, who gathered virtually together for the 7th meeting of the European Committee of the Regions' SEDEC Commission on 22 April, have backed the European Parliament's resolution that declares the entire EU a LGBTIQ Freedom Zone. They called the European Commission to ensure that the fundamental values of the European Union are observed and that no municipality, region or state introduces systemic discriminatory mechanisms, such as "LGBT-free zones" or resolutions "against LGBT ideology" like those adopted by certain local and regional authorities in Poland.