Civil society organisations call for Conference on the Future of Europe to include marginalised communities
On 19 June 2021 Eurochild joined almost 60 organisations and co-signed an open letter to the Co-Chairs and Members of the Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe asking to develop an inclusion strategy to ensure that marginalised communities are represented and involved in the Conference in consultation with civil society actors.
On 16 July 2021, the Co-Chairs sent a reply which however didn’t indicate any concrete measures in response to these concerns.
The Conference on the Future of Europe is an EU initiative that lasts for an entire year, during which inputs, opinions and ideas shared by citizens will be collected via an online platform and discussed by citizens, politicians and European leaders to reflect on how best to reform the European Union.
The Conference Plenary meeting on 23 October is a crucial opportunity to create an inclusive process.
The second open letter, also co-signed by Eurochild, sent on 13 October asked Conference Plenary members to:
- Implement a diversity assessment of the Citizens’ Panels
- Take measures to create a safe space for all Citizens’ Panel participants
- Set up a Conference Inclusiveness Council and ensure the representation of marginalised communities in the Conference Plenary
- Invite the Coordinator on Anti-Racism as member of the Conference Plenary
- Extend the timeline of the Conference in order to ensure intentional and impactful engagement with marginalised communities around the Conference process, more time is needed to effectively build pathways for participation
To better support and empower child rights organisations and children, Eurochild has produced a child-friendly introduction to the Conference as well as a members-only policy briefing explaining how to support the meaningful participation of children in the process.
Join discussions on Twitter: #InclusiveCoFoENow
