The European Movement International has been allocated three seats in the Conference on the Future of Europe Plenary, as part of the eight civil society representatives.
We have been discussing and looking forward to the start of the Conference for a couple of months now, starting back when civil society representation was not even foreseen to participate in the manner it is now. Once it was clear that eight Plenary seats were to be allocated to civil society organisations, the Board, Secretariat, and myself continued our work and lobbying efforts to secure a place for the EMI, including through a series of positioning talks that I had with the main actors from the institutions. Today, we have three seats. They will be taken by Yves Bertoncini, Vice-President of the EMI, Petros Fassoulas, Secretary-General of the EMI and Anna Echterhoff, Secretary General of the UEF, an International Association within the EMI. I strongly believe that being a part of the CoFoE Plenary with three seats is a remarkable and deserved milestone in the history of this organisation.
Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that the EMI has deepened cooperation and signed Memoranda of Understanding with both the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee in light of the CoFoE.
Our partnerships with these historic and sizeable institutional actors are another noteworthy milestone for our organisation with which we can all be proud. These achievements are a testament to the truly representative diverse and influential network that we have – they are important recognition for every person who has been involved in the EMI.
Thank you to the Board, Secretariat, Member Organisations, to each and every one of you for your active engagement and the excellent work that you have carried out.
Now, the most important part is to focus on what meaningful contribution the EMI representatives will bring to the Conference. The EMI representatives will be speaking on behalf of the EMI as a whole and we will have processes in place to ensure they represent the views of all Member Organisations – these process will ensure transparency, inclusivity, and accountability. More information will be coming on this soon.
We need to make our voice heard, as we have done up until now, because our pro-European voice is unique in its diversity, strength, and unwavering commitment to European values.
As always, please feel free to drop me an e-mail (eva.maydell@europarl.europa.eu) sharing your thoughts on what you think the EMI should be focusing on moving forward.
Yours sincerely,
Eva
Eva Maydell MEP
President European Movement International
Read more about the conference here. The first plenary session takes place in Strasbourg today (June 19).
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