Our President François Decoster, Mayor of Saint-Omer and still in the running as World Mayor 2021, discussed the Future of Europe among regional leaders and leaders of European political parties at the Bled Strategic Forum.
For Decoster it was a return to Bled, fourteen years after his first attendance with then French Minister for Higher Education, research and innovation Valérie Pécresse, currently the President of the Regional Council of the île-de-France region.
During this edition, Decoster participated in a debate as representative of the European Committee of the Regions on the objectives of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Decoster is, together with Mirja Vehkaperä, chair of the city board of Oulu, Finland and Paula Fernández Viaña, Minister of the Interior, Justice and Foreign Action in the government of Cantabria our Renew Europe CoR delegation. On top of this Renew Europe CoR delegation as part of the European Committee of the Regions, our member Simone Beissel, Deputy Mayor of Luxembourg City, also participates on the Conference on the Future of Europe, representing her country, Luxembourg.
Decoster discussed how European political families differ in their visions and plans for the future of European integration, whether the EU needs a new economic and fiscal framework, or whether the distribution of competencies and powers between the EU and its member states fit for the 21st century? Is an institutional overhaul of the EU desirable, for example in a federal or confederal direction? How can the quality and representativeness of EU democracy be improved?
The Bled Strategic Forum evolved into a leading international conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe, offering a platform to express and contrast opinions on modern society and its future. The purpose of the Forum is to gather participants from various fields with diverse knowledge and encourage them to exchange views and seek innovative solutions to present and future challenges.
The Conference on the Future of Europe is a unique opportunity to strengthen the democratic dimension of the European Union and to restore citizens’ trust in the European project. For this CoFoE, a civic platform was created as a hub where every citizen can share their ideas per topic. So how do you see the Union? What would you like to see improved? As the future is in your hands, it is important to make your voice heard. This can be done on the Conference on the Future of Europe’s website.
