CoR to discuss what role cities and regions should play in the Future of Europe

On Europe Day, local representatives will want to ensure stronger participation

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR), in collaboration with the French government and the main French territorial associations, is organising a local dialogue on the occasion of the start of the Conference on the Future of Europe on 9 May in Strasbourg.

The event will offer local and regional elected representatives from all over Europe, as well as EU citizens, the opportunity to participate in an open discussion and to express their views on local matters.

The occasion will be attended by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions, Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Democracy and Demography, Guy Verhofstadt, Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Conference on the Future of Europe, and Ana Paula Zacarias, Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs.

A debate ahead of the Conference on the Future of Europe

The event will be held on 9 May 2021 from 11:00-13:00. It will be streamed online on the CoR website, CoR Facebook page and CoR YouTube channel.

Two panels will discuss local engagement and dialogue:

• Panel 1: Engaging in local dialogue with citizens for a more resilient Europe,
• Panel 2: Strengthening democratic legitimacy: a Conference for and with citizens - the contribution of the European Committee of the Regions.

The debate will take place immediately before the official launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The aim is to mark the territorial dimension and guarantee that it reaches out to people in regions, cities and villages across Europe.

Participants will discuss how to best involve locally elected politicians and local communities in the Conference and how to ensure a stronger role for local and regional authorities in the Europe of tomorrow.