Highlights of the inaugural event of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the 09.05.2021 in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

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Strasbourg

future of the European Union (T)

Conference on the Future of Europe – Inaugural event - Highlights of the Conference

Arrival of Ursula von LEYEN, EC President (3 shots)

Arrival of Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic; Welcome by David SASSOLI, EP President; (8 shots)

Arrival of Antonio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister (2 shots)

Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic signs the Golden Book (5 shots)

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, Here we are gathered in Strasbourg on the 9th of May, which tells us a great deal about who we are, how we are going to work to shape ourselves after the seventy years of our common experience and looking at the founding moments in our archives. Strasbourg is the city of reconciliation after all, it is the living symbol of this Europe that said no to war, to build peace, to replace occupation with cooperation, to lift the worries at looking towards the borders, to breathe new confidence and friendship into European souls.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, This model produced and showed solidarity as part of the European identity, this model is meant to protect the environment and the climate. And we maintain that ambition during the crisis through the green deal and through the digital platforms and also through protection of privacy, respecting the rights and freedoms.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, I'm pleased that the United States of America looks to Europe to become more of a society of solidarity. And I hope in my deepest of hearts that in Europe we will once again find faith in the future and act swiftly for massive investments acting on these investments. And therefore, it is our duty to pull this off to act more quickly and to find the relevant subjects to gain that momentum.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, We need to find the path towards the future once again. And that is what this Conference on the future of Europe is all about, It is to find a way to shape democracy collectively and to learn the lessons.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, And we need everybody to be on board with a full commitment. This conference is something we owe to our young people. We ask them to make the hardest sacrifice during this crisis, after all, and it is for them that we will build this new Europe.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, There will be a year of debate where we will meet one another, the institutions, the parliament, the social partners, and we know how very much they want to be a part of this discussion. The thinking groups of all citizens, European groups at the local level, the online platforms available in all languages, a citizens panel. It will be an unprecedented exercise to listen to the entire continent and to think of what we want our future to look like.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, And we need everybody to be on board with a full commitment. This conference is something we owe to our young people. We ask them to make the hardest sacrifice during this crisis, after all, and it is for them that we will build this new Europe.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, Thank you, I'm counting on you.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, From the beginning of the legislation, the Conference on the future of Europe was a priority for the European Parliament. We requested it and it's being launched today. Yes, there has been a delay, but an awful lot has happened during recent months. Even before the pandemic, the Parliament firmly believed in the importance of having an event such as this.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, We need to work on ourselves because we want to leave our younger generations, not only the weight of the crisis, but pride in a European Union, which can be a reference point in a world where the challenge of authoritarianism is a major one.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, The European Union isn't only Brussels, it is national Parliaments. It is national Governments, regions as well, which are so important in the lives of our countries. Everyone needs to feel involved in this process and we want to work with them. We want that this Conference, in a year, will discuss the way we are without taboos. We want clear, pragmatic suggestions as to how we can improve. The Parliament obviously intends to play its role in this Conference as the representative of our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, We need clear proposals at the end of this procedure based on recommendations made by citizens and debates in the plenary assembly. But the most important thing is that these suggestions be followed by action. These proposals will have to be a compass to guide our work during the coming decade. And by signing the joint declaration, our institutions committed themselves along those lines without wishing to prejudice the results of these debates.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, Let's build a stronger, more resilient, more democratic and more united Europe. That's the message that we need to send out from here in Strasbourg today, the capital of the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, This official launch of the Conference on the Future of Europe is a message of confidence in the future that we want to convey to all citizens of Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, 71 years now have passed since the Schuman Declaration, which we celebrate on the 9th of May as Europe Day. Throughout the 71 years, our will, our desire has changed Europe.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, There is a desire to move forward, but we should not allow problems to exist which can undermine our cohesion. We need to address the key issues. If we want to be successful and we have to be successful, we cannot avoid the difficult issues today.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, This conference, therefore, should focus on all the different desires and words of all the citizens in Europe and not on negotiations between countries. This is a conference by citizens and for citizens.

SOUNDBITE (French), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, The conference on the future of Europe should focus on the women and men of Europe. What is troubling these people? What is making them dream?

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, The future of Europea should be built on the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, human rights, civil rights, economic and social rights.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, We started this journey 71 years ago with coal and steel, the basis of the economy at the time. Now we need to begin once again in green and digital, the drivers of recovery plans for the future.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ant&#243;nio COSTA, Portuguese Prime Minister, Make your voices heard, come forward with your priorities, your dreams, so that together we can build the future of Europe. Thank you very much.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The point is that the European Union must be whatever Europeans want it to be. This is an opportunity to help build a new common purpose for all Europeans. We see how important that is when we look at the world around us, globalised but fragmented, full of contradictions and confrontations. It reminds us of the importance of a shared sense of purpose and that none of us can go it alone.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, But fundamental change does not come about via court rulings, but via politics. And that's why I believe we should use this Conference in order to hold a genuine structured dialogue between the generations, so that we can discuss how we can protect the fundamental conditions needed for life.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, Europe has always been at its best when it is reverse engineered. We are at our boldest when we first set an ambitious goal or have to act out of necessity, often without competence or precedence. This is the Europe that rises to the challenge. The Europe that just does it because it needs to be done.

SOUNDBITE (French), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the EC, The most beautiful profession a man can have is that of bringing men together. It's up to us now to keep on doing that. Thank you. Long live Europe.