What sort of European Union do we want to see in the future? What is working well in the EU and what could be improved? These are just two examples of the kind of questions that the European citizens' panels, part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, will have to answer. The Conference on the Future of Europe marks the first time in the history of the EU that citizens have been included in a consultative process in such a structural and innovative manner. There are four European Citizens' Panels, each of them comprising 200 citizens and ensuring that at least one female and one male citizen per Member State is included. Citizens were chosen randomly to ensure that they are representative of the EU's diversity, in terms of geographic origin, gender, age, socioeconomic background and level of education. Young people between 16 and 25 will make up one-third of each panel.

Strasbourg

meeting

conference on the future of Europe (T)

european citizens' panel (T)

Conference on the Future of Europe - Citizens' panel: statements by participating citizens

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/1494063/I210948Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Title: Conference on the Future of Europe - Citizens&apos; panel: statements by participating citizens

SOUNDBITE (Slovak), Petra, Slovakia, Good morning, my name is Petra. I am a participant in the Conference on the future of Europe, to which I was invited as a citizen. My motivation is to contribute to the future of Europe and try to make it better and more accessible for all of us. So that we can be more united, with common values, so that we can move forward together to a better future. At the moment, Europe is doing a lot for me. Personally, I am particularly satisfied with Schengen and with free borders, free trade, which greatly helps the economy and also individuals.

SOUNDBITE (German), Karel, Austria, I'm Karel, I'm from Austria and I'm 58 years old. I was invited to this conference to present my concerns and what I expect from the EU in the future. And I am very happy to be here and say thank you once again ! In the future, I want EU to care much more about nature, so the environnment can be preserved. I want my children and grandchildren to have a safe nature. I don't want them to live somewhere in exhaust fumes, where everything is devastated or destroyed by rubbish. And secondly, I want crime to dicrease, as my children can grow up in security.

SOUNDBITE (French), Yola, France, My name is Yola, I am 29 years old and I am French. I am an agricultural engineer in research and development. To be honest, I was very curious. I was very surprised when I received the proposal and I said to myself "OK, why not?". I was curious about the event but also about all the people that I will be able to meet. And secondly, why not discuss a little more about politics, which is a topic I am getting interested in recently ? What I hope is that Europe could bring me more well-being on a daily basis. It means access to culture, sports, a financial base, and less stress in everyday life which could allow everbody to have a life that suits them. I am also expecting strong ecological commitments so that we can have a world that makes sense up for the next years to come.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Andre, Netherlands, My name is Andr&eacute; Penninckx and I am from the Netherlands. I was a toxicologist and I have been retired for eight years now. This meeting interesting to me because we, as citizens of Europe, are given the opportunity to raise our voices. And of course I do hope that if we come to a number of meetings with suggestions, that they will be listened to and that something will be done. Because otherwise we are here for nothing. Europe must be a healthy environment for people so that they get a happy life with many possibilities such as good education or good health care. I think those are some important things.

SOUNDBITE (English), Geraldine, Ireland, <p>Hi, my name is Geraldine Burke. I come from Galway on the west coast of Ireland. I have time because I'm retired. I have children and grandchildren that I would like to see a better world for. And if I can be a part of doing something for that and show them how to do something about it, then I'd like to be active and actively involved. What I would love to see is unity of purpose, social inclusion, and that we would all benefit from the digital age that's coming. I didn't grow up with technology at my fingertips, so it's new and it's not always easy for me. But I see my grandchildren who know what it's like as babies. </p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Geraldine, Ireland, So to be involved in that as older people as well as encouraging younger people to exploit it. And when I say exploited, I don't mean just from an educational point of view, because I think not everybody is gifted educationally. We need to train our young people for apprenticeships. We have a shortage of skills, shortage of plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, things we need every day so we can't forget to train these people.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Aristeidis, Greece, Hello, I am also from Thessaloniki. I am studying civil engineering. I really liked the idea that through this conference, I can also contribute to the development of Europe, even to a small extent. I liked the idea that I can contribute to change my own life, the lives of both my friends and fellow citizens. I hope it gives me the opportunity to live and work in Europe in the future and to correct the wrong texts that may exist at the moment.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Paloma, Spain, I am Paloma Tolentino, I am from Spain and I work in a nursing home. This project seemed interesting to me because it listens to what citizens think and the decisions don't stay in the upper echelons, far away from the way we live. For me and for the rest of Europeans, I wish Europe can be more cohesive, where all the differences are respected and where individuality should not be more important than common interests. I want a fair and social Europe and an economy that will protect the weakest economies.