“After months of preparations, the Conference on the Future of Europe is finally starting its work! Our EPP Group team of 28 dedicated MEPs - 14 women and 14 men from all over Europe - is
very much looking forward to discussing all the topics which are crucial for the future of our continent - creating jobs and growth for the future, making our economies fit for the digital age, fighting against climate change, making sure the EU speaks with one voice and protecting the European way of life in an increasingly hostile world. All these topics will have to be addressed and we are determined to make this Conference the place that will shape Europe’s future!”, said Manfred Weber MEP, EPP Group Chairman, ahead of the inaugural plenary meeting of the Future of Europe Conference, which will take place on Saturday in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Paulo Rangel MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chairman responsible for the Conference on the Future of Europe, said: "At the Conference, the European Parliament and national parliaments will have an enormous task to play: defending representative democracy. Faced with the populist and nationalist threats that are spreading in Europe and worldwide, the solution lies in strengthening the legitimacy of the elected representatives and their greater connection with the voters. I advocate the creation of a great European parliamentary alliance that consolidates, first, among the parliamentary groups of our political family, then extends to all the national parliaments of the EU Member States and, in the future, goes beyond the borders of our Union, against global threats and global alliances."
“For me it is clear that building a good future for Europe means building a more democratic Europe”, Weber added. “I deeply believe that people will really only trust Europe if their vote counts and people can make a difference. Europeans will only feel like they belong to Europe, care about Europe, and engage with Europe if they know they are being heard. This is why we want to strengthen the link between all citizens and the Brussels decision-making process.”
List of EPP Group Members of the EP Delegation to the Conference on the Future of Europe:
Manfred Weber (DE), Member of the Executive Board - Pascal Arimont (BE) - Hildegard Bentele (DE) - Vladimír Bilčík (SK) - Lefteris Christoforou (CY) - Deirdre Clune (IE) - Nathalie Colin-Oesterlé (FR) - Esther de Lange (NL) - Herbert Dorfmann (IT) - Sunčana Glavak (HR) - Esteban González Pons (ES) - Danuta Hübner (PL) - Othmar Karas (AT) - Andrius Kubilius (LT) - Jeroen Lenaers (NL) - Eva Maydell (BG) - Evangelos Meimarakis (EL) - Roberta Metsola (MT) - Dolores Montserrat (ES) - Siegfried Mureșan (RO) - Sirpa Pietikäinen (FI) - Paulo Rangel (PO) - Radosław Sikorski (PO) - Sven Simon (DE) - Sara Skyttedal (SE) - Michaela Šojdrová (CZ) - Romana Tomc (SL) - Isabel Wiseler-Lima (LUX). Photo by wikimedia commons.