The Conference on the Future of Europe is a chance to address the most prominent issues in Europe’s regions and translate them into proposals for the future of the bloc, regional stakeholders say.
According to EU Cohesion Commissioner Elisa Ferreira, ignoring geography and territory in EU policymaking could lead to what one of the recent Commission studies described as ‘geography of discontent’.
From the capital cities to regions and to rural communities – the rural-urban divide across Europe is a concern from an economic, social and democratic point of view, with EU citizens bearing the brunt of their region’s medium and long-term challenges.
Almost 30% of the European population – 137 million people in total – live in rural or remote areas, which stretch over 80% of the EU’s territory.
Experts and EU policymakers alike have identified the Conference on the Future of Europe as a potential tool to make the voice of European citizens from across different European communities and regions heard.
This Special Report looks into what they expect from the EU for their future development.
-
Local communities ask for bottom-up approach in bloc-wide democracy experiment
Local citizens’ panels indicate an appetite for ambitious EU reforms in the process of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE). Many policies could also benefit from a bottom-up and more regional approach, stakeholders argue.
-
Bratislava mayor: Where national governments fail, cities step up for democracy
Democracy was born in towns and cities, and local leaders are closer to the people than national governments, Matúš Vallo, the mayor of Bratislava, told EURACTIV Slovakia. Liberal democracy is going through a challenging time. Populism, declining media freedom, minority discrimination, …
-
EU should not be ‘just a bank account’, French mayor says
Elected local officials are crucial in bringing the EU closer to citizens and showing them it is not just about receiving funds, the mayor of the small French town of Saint-Omer told EURACTIV France in an interview.
-
Germany’s core industrial region aims for transformation
The state of North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has been at the epicentre of Germany’s industry for centuries. However, amid ongoing digital and green transition, the region aims to master structural transformation to stay competitive, Dietmar Brockes, Chairman of the Committee for Europe …
-
La Rioja representative: Future of Europe linked to future of regions
Involving regions in decision-making processes at the European level is essential to ensure that policy measures are adapted to their unique particularities, Ciudadano’s spokesperson at La Rioja regional parliament, Pablo Baena, told EURACTIV's partner EFE in an interview.
-
Changing the lives of Bulgaria’s mountainous communities
The Bulgarian mountain region of Dzhebel is bucking the trend of depopulation and citizens are looking forward to a bright future fuelled with tourism and innovation. In an interview with EURACTIV Bulgaria, Mayor Nedzhmi Ali explained what he has in store for the gem of the Rhodopes in the short, medium, and long term.