With the participation of EU citizens such as Antonia Kieper (right) and Wiktoria Tyszka-Ulezalka, the EU Commission wants to appear closer to the citizens.
(Photo: dpa)
Strasbourg A good year ago, Cologne law student Antonia Kieper received a call on her cell phone. “What’s your opinion on the EU?” the unknown caller wanted to know. She didn’t hang up straight away, and that’s how she ended up sitting at the conference on the future of Europe in Strasbourg this weekend.
The conference is a grassroots experiment that the EU Commission under Ursula von der Leyen came up with to demonstrate closeness to the people. For eight months, 800 EU citizens like Kieper discussed with members of parliament and commissioners how the EU can become more effective and democratic.
In its last plenary session on Saturday, the conference decided on 49 reform proposals, some of which were far-reaching. Among other things, the participants demand that the veto of the member states in the EU Council be overturned on most issues.
In the future, the European Parliament should also be able to propose laws and the EU Commission should be given powers for health and education for the first time. In addition, European investments are to be regularly financed through joint borrowing.
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