“Una casa para todos”: Observations from the first European Citizens’ Panel of the Conference on the Future of Europe. EPC Report 24/09/2021.

Stratulat, Corina and Greubel, Johannes (2021) “Una casa para todos”: Observations from the first European Citizens’ Panel of the Conference on the Future of Europe. EPC Report 24/09/2021. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

Last weekend, 180 citizens from all over the European Union gathered in Strasbourg for the first European Citizens’ Panel of the Conference on the Future of Europe. EPC analysts Johannes Greubel and Corina Stratulat were there to observe. They share their first impressions in a special report for the Conference Observatory. Besides a comprehensive description of the process and the overall atmosphere in Strasbourg, the report assesses the chosen methods and procedures. It also highlights a few kinks that could – and should - be ironed out in the course of the Conference. Despite some of the shortcomings mentioned in the report, the authors saw signs of hope and optimism. The organisers went to great lengths to design a process that considers fundamental elements of deliberative exercises. This ECP also confirms the potential of such activities to actively engage participants, broaden their perspectives and knowledge, and leave a long-lasting impression on them. The mood of the citizens in the final plenary of this first ECP session was overwhelmingly positive. They were excited about the experience they had lived through over the weekend, all the people they met, everything they learned, and the opportunity they were offered to make their voices heard.

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