Civil Society Europe is launching a Civil Society Convention on the future of Europe.

The Conference on the Future of Europe is due to kick off soon. In addition to a decentralised exercise with events at local and national levels, it will also include an interinstitutional conference plenary, which will debate proposals and organise a follow up to the conference.

In line with article 11 of the Treaties according to which EU institutions must maintain an open, transparent and structured dialogue with civil society, organised European Civil Society, composed of organisations involving and representing citizens operating on a pan-European level must also be involved in the Conference interinstitutional plenary discussions.

This was already the case at the Intergovernmental Conference preparing the constitutional Treaty in 2000, which involved European networks of civil society organisations through a Civil Society Forum, and representatives of the Civil Society Forum were regularly invited at the conference. Also two plenary sessions of the IGC were dedicated to civil society.

It is vital to ensure that next to a bottom up involvement of citizens and civil society organisations at local and national levels, there is a direct link between European civil society organisations and the Conference Plenary, to ensure coherence and follow up to European citizens demands and aspirations.

For this reason, Civil Society Europe, as the coordination for civil society organisations in Europe, has established a Civil Society Convention open to all European (network) organisations that like us, are “working towards regenerating the European project around the shared values of Equality, Solidarity, Inclusiveness and Democracy”, recognise themselves in this Joint declaration and agree to reclaim a space for civil society organisations in the Conference on the Future of Europe to join the Convention.

The Civil Society Convention will be launched with an online event co-hosted with key EU decision-makers. More information will follow!

Please find further information in the call for a Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe.

In order to join please sign up to the declaration on this form by end of January.