Taking Stock, Moving Forward: Reflections Following the Conference on the Future of Europe

The Conference on the Future of Europe concluded its work after a period of intensive citizens’ deliberations that resulted in a set of concrete policy proposals for the strengthening of the European integration process. This joint publication of ELIAMEP and the Hanns Seidel Foundation takes stock of the Conference and its core outputs. Janis Emmanouilidis, Director of Studies at the European Policy Centre (EPC), discusses the next day after the Conference, focusing on key lessons learnt and making concrete proposals to build on its success. George Pagoulatos, Director General of ELIAMEP, highlights five challenges raised by the Conference, including its institutional purpose, the followed process, the content, relevance, and follow up. Spyros Blavoukos, Head of the Ariane Condellis European Programme of ELIAMEP, analyses the role of key actors in the Conference, especially the engagement of the European public, the Commission, and the governments. Finally, Benjamin Bodson and Ward den Dooven, both researchers at the Egmont Institute, review the contribution of the Benelux countries to the Conference, with a view to the readiness of the three countries to follow up on citizens’ recommendations.

Read the study here.